,<W  of  mlfc, 

BX    9225    .C62   M4 

A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.W 
Cochran. 


J-.Ty.  lec^c, 


(Xas^ 


A  MEMORI 


OF 


Rev.  I.W.Cochran. 


"  A  man  greatly  beloved? 


NEW   YORK : 
PRINTED  FOR  PRIVATE  CIRCULATION. 


PRESS  OF 

Jenkins  &  McCowan, 
224-228  Centre  Street,  N.  Y. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Early  Days 1-35 

In  the  Ministry 36-65 

Trial  and  Triumph 66-109 

Pastoral  Letters 1 10-119 

Sermons  :    The  Principles  of  Christian  Giving.  .  .  .   120-143 

One  Thing  is  Needful 144-164 

The  Promises 165-187 


A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran, 


EARLY   DAYS. 


Israel  Williams  Cochran,  although 
brought  up  in  Brooklyn,  was  born  at  Foster's 
Meadow,  Long  Island,  September  II,  1841,  dur- 
ing the  temporary  sojourn  of  his  parents  at  that 
place.  His  father  was  James  B.  Cochran,  of 
Kirkcudbright,  Scotland,  who  came  to  America 
as  a  lad.  His  mother  was  Catharine  Baylis,  of 
Brooklyn,  lovely  in  person  and  character.  She 
became  the  mother  of  seven  children,  four  of 
whom  lived  to  grow  up.  She  died  at  the  age 
of  thirty-three.  Williams  had  but  faint  recol- 
lections of  his  mother,  being  only  eight  years 
old  at  her  death.  He  used  to  say  to  his  chil- 
dren that  he  could  not  remember  her  face,  but 
recalled  her  figure  as  she  stood  with  her  beauti- 
ful long  brown  hair  falling  almost  to  her  knees. 
He  often  spoke  of  a  Sabbath  morning  when  she 
was  not  able  to  go  to  church  and  he  stayed 
with  her.     She  had  him  read  aloud  to  her,  and 


2         A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

told  him  that  her  favorite  hymn  was  "  Welcome, 
Sweet  Day  of  Rest."  She  died  very  suddenly, 
leaving  a  helpless  little  family  of  five,  the  eld- 
est j  Mary,  ten  years  old,  and  the  youngest  a 
babe  of  a  Week,  who  soon  followed  her.  Their 
grandmother  Baylis  came  to  take  care  of  the 
motherless  little  ones,  but,  finding  herself  too 
old  and  feeble  for  the  task>  gave  it  up  in  a  year 
to  two  maiden  sisters  of  their  father,  the  Misses 
Isabella  and  Wilhelmina  Cochran. 

Mr.  Cochran  always  tenderly  and  regretfully 
remembered  his  young  mother.  In  a  letter 
written  nearly  twenty  years  later,  he^peaks  of 
the  difference  there  might  have  been  in  his 
character  "had  I  known,  as  I  never  have,  a 
mother's  love  and  a  mother's  care.  These  I  have 
only  known  from  the  want  of  them,  and  the 
thought  of  that  want,  of  how  much  better  I 
might  have  been  with  them,  makes  my  heart 
and  throat  full.  But  God  knew  best  when  He 
took  away  father  and  mother  and  sent  me  forth 
to  fight  the  battle  alone — not  leaving  me  alone, 
but  giving  me  His  own  strong  arm  to  lean  upon. 
Blessed  be  His  name  that  He  has  not  forgotten 
me!  I  have  done  everything  I  could  to  make 
Him  leave  me,  refused  His  Spirit,  forgotten  His 
mercies,  despised  His  love,  rejected  His  grace, 
broken  His  covenant,  wandered  from  His  way, 


Early  Days.  3 

provoked  Him  to  wrath  in  ways  that  He  alone 
can  understand  to  the  full,  and  yet,  forever  bless- 
ed be  His  holy  name,  I  can  rejoice,  this  morn- 
ing, in  the  forgiveness  of  sin,  and  I,  even  I,  the 
chief  of  sinners,  can  hope  to-day  for  eternal  life. 
How  unsearchable  is  His  goodness  !  How  won- 
derful His  patience  !  Yet,  in  spite  of  all  this, 
the  heart  longs  for  human  affection,  forgetting, 
more  than  it  ought,  that  that  longing  may  be 
met  in  Christ." 

The  tenderness  which  his  childish  heart  crav- 
ed was  abundantly  bestowed  by  his  father,  who 
tried  to  be  father  and  mother  both  to  his  be- 
reaved little  ones.  He  exercised  the  most 
watchful  supervision  overall  their  varied  needs, 
their  schools  and  lessons,  their  sports,  and  their 
religious  education.  He  heard  them  recite  their 
lessons  every  evening  for  the  next  day,  saw 
them  to  bed,  and  tucked  them  in  as  a  mother 
might  have  done,  with  many  a  tender  word  and 
kiss,  and  prayer.  He  never  left  the  house  in  the 
evening  till  they  were  settled  in  bed,  and  then 
only  to  visit  relatives.  He  gave  up  all  other 
society  for  their  sake.  Though  at  this  time  not 
very  well  off  pecuniarily,  he  hired  French  and 
German  and  music  masters,  and  was  very  desir- 
ous for  thorough  education  for  them  all.  He 
often  visited  their  schools  and  talked  over  plans 


4         A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

and  methods  with  their  teachers,  being  spe- 
cially anxious  that,  while  carefully  instructed, 
they  should  not  be  unduly  pressed.  His  own 
excellent  education  made  him  especially  com- 
petent to  direct  that  of  his  children.  His  son 
afterward  passed  on  this  same  watchful  super- 
vision and  exceeding  tenderness  to  his  own 
children. 

Williams  was  prepared  for  college  at  the 
Polytechnic  Institute  in  Brooklyn,  where  his 
successful  scholarship  is  abundantly  testified  to 
by  his  school  reports.  He  greatly  enjoyed  his 
school  life,  and  thoroughly  respected  his  prin- 
cipal, Dr.  John  H.  Raymond,  and  used  to  like 
to  tell  how  astonished  he  was  when,  long  after-* 
ward,  he  called  upon  him  at  Vassar  College,  of 
which  he  became  President,  to  find  he  was  quite 
a  small  man.  He  had  so  looked  up  to  him  at 
school  that  he  fancied  he  must  be  tall,  and  was 
quite  unprepared  to  look  down  upon  him  from 
his  own  manhood's  height,  six  feet  one. 

His  parents  were  members  of  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Brooklyn,  whose  pastor 
during  Mr.  Cochran's  childhood  was  Dr.  I.  S. 
Spencer,  so  well  known  as  the  author  of  A  Pas- 
tor s  Sketches.  All  his  life  he  treasured  a  Bible 
with  Dr.  Spencer's  autograph,  given  him  for 
committing  to  memory  the  Shorter  Catechism. 


Early  Days.  5 

He  was  converted  in  the  spring  of  1857,  under 
the  preaching  of  Dr.  Willis  Lord,  then  pastor 
of  the  Second  Church,  afterward  Professor  of 
Theology  in  Chicago  Seminary.  Of  this  event 
he  writes  : 

"  My  surrender  of  myself  to  Christ  occurred 
as  I  was  listening  to  a  sermon  from  1  John 
iv.  10,  'Herein  is  love,  not  that  we  loved  God, 
but  that  He  loved  us,  and  sent  His  Son  to 
be  the  propitiation  for  our  sins.'  As  the  min- 
ister spoke  of  the  love  of  Christ  in  dying  for  our 
sins,  I  was  moved  to  realize  my  sin  in  not  loving 
the  Saviour,  and  to  pray  for  pardon  then  and 
there.  Of  course  my  pious  training  and  the 
Christian  privileges  I  had  enjoyed  had  their 
effect  in  bringing  me  to  this  state,  but  I  believe 
this  was  the  turning-point.  I  afterward  learn- 
ed that  Dr.  Lord  was  particularly  downcast 
after  that  sermon,  and  went  home  mourning 
over  the  unprofitableness  of  his  ministry. 

"  Though  I  had  decided  the  great  question  of 
my  salvation,  I  kept  the  matter  to  myself  for 
nearly  a  year,  and  did  not  unite  with  the  Church 
until  April,  1858,  when  I  was  received,  with 
nearly  thirty  others — the  fruit  of  the  '  revival  of 
1857,'  as  it  was  called.  There  was  no  special 
interest  in  the  church  when  the  change  came 
to  me,  however.  The  reverse,  rather,  was  the 
case." 

For  several  years  he  went  to  Brooklyn  on  the 
anniversary  of  his  first  communion,   and   ob- 


6        A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

served  it  in  his  old  church  there,  with  renewal 
of  his  first  consecration.  After  his  death  his 
pastor,  Dr.  Lord,  who  soon  after  followed  him 
to  his  reward,  writes  :  "  I  wish  I  could  express, 
at  some  fitting  length,  my  impression  of  your 
now  sainted  brother  as  he  was  when  a  boy,  and 
one  of  my  flock  in  Brooklyn.  I  am,  however, 
too  feeble  to  write.  I  can  only  say  that  I 
thought  him  one  of  the  finest  boys  I  ever  knew. 
His  quality  was  golden,  and  that  beneficent  and 
beautiful  life  which  he  afterward  lived  was  the 
proper  unfolding  of  the  clear  and  sure  promise 
of  his  childhood.  In  his  case  the  child  was  the 
father  of  the  man." 

The  following  is  his  own  account  of  his  call 
to  the  ministry:  "  From  my  earliest  years  I  felt 
that  I  ought  to  be  a  minister.  The  conviction 
came  to  me,  I  think,  through  the  consecration 
and  the  wish  of  my  parents,  and  my  knowledge 
of  that  wish.  The  idea  seemed  to  form  a  part 
of  my  natural  feeling  and  expectation  in  regard 
to  the  future,  without  ever  coming  to  me  with 
any  special  force." 

The  friends  of  his  youth  testify  that  he  seem- 
ed born  to  be  a  minister,  that  his  choice  of  any 
other  profession  would  have  seemed  incongru- 
ous, while  that  of  the  ministry  just  fitted  him. 
It  was  because,  in  the  combined  strength  and 


Early  Days.  J 

beauty  of  his  character,  he  so  resembled  Him 
who  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to 
minister.  The  "Let  me  serve"  carved  upon 
his  monument  may  well  be  considered  the 
motto  of  his  life,  adopted  in  its  earliest  years, 
and  faithfully  lived  up  to  till  its  close. 

He  entered  the  New  York  University  in  the 
fall  of  1858.  He  was  an  earnest  and  successful 
student,  always  maintaining  the  highest  stand- 
ing, both  in  scholarship  and  conduct.  He  was 
loved  and  respected,  both  by  professors  and 
students.  His  journals  bear  testimony  to  his 
anxiety  for  the  conversion  of  his  young  friends, 
prayerfully  naming  those  to  whom  he  spoke 
about  their  souls,  recording  appointments  made 
for  conversation  on  religious  topics,  and  occa- 
sionally making  joyful  mention  of  some  one  for 
whom  he  had  been  praying  and  working,  who 
had  been  hopefully  converted. 

On  the  morning  of  April  28,  1859,  his  father 
read  at  family  prayers  the  fifth  chapter  of  II 
Corinthians,  beginning,  "  For  we  know  that  if 
our  earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle  were  dis- 
solved, we  have  a  building  of  God,  a  house  not 
made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens."  That 
afternoon  the  father  and  son  met  in  New  York, 
and  attended  to  some  necessary  errands.  They 
parted,  the  son  going  home,  and  the  father  to 


8         A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

his  country  house  at  Sing  Sing  to  make  arrange- 
ments for  the  removal  of  the  family  there  for 
the  summer.  They  never  met  again  in  this 
life.  Mr.  Cochran,  while  walking  over  the 
grounds  with  his  faithful  and  efficient  gardener, 
felt  suddenly  ill,  and  ordered  his. carriage  that 
he  might  be  driven  to  the  doctor's.  When  the 
carriage  was  ready,  the  maid  knocked  at  the 
bedroom  door  to  announce  it.  She  got  no  re- 
sponse, so  told  the  man  to  bring  the  doctor,  as 
Mr.  Cochran  seemed  to  be  asleep.  When  the 
physician  came,  Mr.  Cochran  was  found  lying 
dead  upon  the  bed.  The  news  was  a  terrible 
shock  to  his  children,  who  loved  and  rever- 
enced their  father  in  an  unusual  degree.  Doubt- 
less the  sore  affliction  had  its  effect  in  develop- 
ing their  characters,  and  making  them  more 
self-reliant  than  they  otherwise  would  have 
been.  Williams  at  once  felt  the  responsibility 
of  an  eldest  son,  and  endeavored  to  take  a 
father's  place  to  his  brothers  and  sisters,  but  it 
seemed  as  if  their  earthly  all  had  been  taken; 
and  for  months — he  testified  in  after  life — he 
moved  about  as  one  in  a  dream. 

Mr.  James  B.  Cochran  was  very  tender  and 
lovable,  all  his  friends  bearing  witness  to  his 
kindliness.  To  quote  the  words  of  his  Sing 
Sing  pastor,  Dr.  Phraner,  at  his  funeral :  "  He 


Early  Days.  9 

was  just  the  man  on  whom  a  pastor  could  lean — 
sensible,  cheerful,  cordial,  hopeful,  ever  ready 
to  sympathize  with  and  aid  every  good  cause, 
efficiently  but  modestly  doing  his  work  without 
cither  giving  or  taking  offense;  ready,  indeed, 
to  occupy  any  place  or  to  do  any  work  if  it  was 
for  Christ.  The  cause  of  his  Master  seemed 
equally  dear  to  him,  whether  in  city  or  country, 
and  for  this  reason  we  always  looked  with  much 
pleasure  for  his  return  among  us,  confident  that 
the  next  Sabbath  would  find  him  in  his  accus- 
tomed place,  both  in  the  sanctuary  and  in  the 
Sabbath-school.  He  lost  no  time  in  this  trans- 
fer of  his  residence,  hence  notice  was  given  to 
his  class  on  last  Lord's  day  that  on  the  ap- 
proaching Sabbath  they  might  expect  the 
beloved  teacher  with  them  again."  For  nearly 
forty  years  he  labored  in  the  Sunday-school 
as  teacher  or  superintendent.  The  day 
before  his  death  he  was  with  his  class  in 
Brooklyn,  instructing  them  in  the  Word  of 
God. 

He  was  of  a  most  benevolent  nature,  always 
giving  with  a  free  hand.  Indeed,  his  pastor 
testifies  that  he  had  often  to  stand  between  his 
generosity  and  the  disposition  of  some  to  im- 
pose upon  him  more  than  his  share,  both  as  to 
contribution  and  labor.    Faithfulness,  unselfish- 


io       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

ness,  and  generosity  marked  his  character,  as 
they  afterward  did  that  of  his  son. 

He  was  very  fond  of  singing,  loving  to  have 
music  in  his  home,  and  his  son  delighted  to 
sing  to  his  own  children  the  hymns  his  father 
sang  —  "A  Poor,  Wayfaring  Man  of  Grief," 
"  Poor  and  Needy  Though  I  Be,"  and  "  I  Heard 
a  Father  Crying." 

A  few  months  after  the  death  of  Mr.  James 
B.  Cochran,  his  brother,  Mr.  Samuel  Cochran, 
of  New  York,  died,  leaving  his  widow  alone  and 
childless.  It  was  thought  best  for  the  two  be- 
reaved families  to  unite  and  make  a  home 
together,  and  in  the  fall  of  1859  Mr.  James 
Cochran's  family,  including  the  two  aunts,  went 
to  live  with  Mrs.  Jeannette  S.  Cochran,  34  West 
Twenty-first  Street,  New  York.  They  became 
connected  with  the  Scotch  Presbyterian  Church 
in  Fourteenth  Street,  then  under  the  pastoral 
care  of  Dr.  McElroy.  Mr.  Cochran  and  his 
sister  Mary  at  once  took  classes  in  the  church 
Sunday-school,  and  also  in  the  mission  school 
for  colored  children,  which  was  supported  by 
the  church.  In  the  latter  school  especially,  it 
being  the  most  needy,  he  labored  earnestly, 
and  his  journal  bears  record  of  his  constant 
visitation  of  his  scholars,  and  of  his  attendance 
at  the  sick  and  dying  beds  of  several  of  them. 


Early  Days.  1 1 

The  superintendent  of  the  colored  school  writes 
of  this  period  :  "  I  have  few  things  in  the  retro- 
spect of  work  in  this  school  more  pleasant  to  me 
than  that  of  visiting  among  the  scholars  with 
Mr.  Cochran.  We  did  this  a  great  deal  together, 
on  our  Lord's  plan  of  going  in  twos;  and  no 
more  delightful  companion  in  such  work  could 
well  be  imagined.  He  was  also  our  chorister 
on  the  Sabbath,  and  in  every  way  in  his  power 
sought  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  school." 

Even  at  this  early  period,  when  he  was  but 
nineteen  years  old,  an  incident  occurred  that 
showed  he  had  already  begun  to  develop  those 
qualities  which  made  him  so  acceptable  a  vis- 
itant to  those  who  were  sick  or  in  trouble. 

A  Christian  gentleman  in  mature  life,  one 
who  was  not  an  especially  intimate  friend,  was 
taken  suddenly  ill,  and  went  down  to  death 
with  but  a  few  hours'  warning.  The  day  before 
he  died  he  was  told  his  condition,  and  asked  if 
he  would  not  see  a  minister;  he  replied,  "I 
would  rather  have  Will  Cochran  come  and  pray 
with  me  than  any  one  else."  The  young  man 
came  to  his  side  ;  they  talked  quietly  and 
peacefully  for  a  little  while  of  the  bright  home 
that  was  awaiting  the  dying  one  in  heaven,  and 
of  the  Friend  that  was  taking  him  there,  and 
then    Mr.   Cochran    knelt    with   the   wife    and 


12       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  L  W.  Cochran. 

mother  and  commended  him  to  the  Saviour. 
This  was  the  first  of  many  whose  paths  into 
the  dark  valley  were  smoothed  by  his  ministra- 
tions. After  this  he  was  often  sent  for  by  the 
dying,  even  before  he  entered  into  the  active 
work  of  the  ministry.  He  was  a  "son  of  con- 
solation "  by  virtue  of  his  own  experience  of 
sorrow,  of  his  ready  sympathy  with  the  sorrow- 
ing, and  of  his  unusual  tact  in  saying  just  the 
word  that  was  needed  in  every  case.  His 
strong  faith,  "as  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible," 
enabled  him  to  strengthen  the  trust  of  those 
who  listened  to  his  words.  His  gift  in  prayer  was 
even  then  remarkable,  enabling  him  to  voice 
the  needs  of  those  whose  supplications  he  led. 

His  family  retained  their  Sing  Sing  residence 
as  a  summer  retreat  even  after  the  Brooklyn 
home  was  broken  up.  The  four  young  people 
greatly  enjoyed  it,  as  it  preserved  their  inde- 
pendent life  as  a  family,  and  their  youthful 
spirits  found  free  vent  there  after  being  held  a 
good  deal  in  check  in  their  winter  home  in  New 
York  by  the  age  and  afflicted  condition  of  their 
aunts.  They  had  very  lively  times  at  Sing 
Sing,  filling  the  large  house  all  summer  long 
with  their  young  friends.  There  was  constant 
hilarity,  and  many  good-natured  tricks  were 
played  off  on  each  other. 


Early  Days.  13 

He  graduated  at  the  New  York  University, 
June,  1862,  with  the  valedictory  honors,  and 
entered  Princeton  Theological  Seminary  in 
September  of  that  year.  In  both  college  and 
seminary  he  won  the  love  and  respect  of  his 
fellow-students  in  a  marked  degree.  A  distin- 
guished classmate  said  of  him  while  he  was  still 
in  active  work,  "  He  was  the  holiest  man  in 
Princeton  Seminary  while  he  was  there."  An- 
other classmate  writes,  "  My  life  will  never  lose 
the  impress  made  by  his  deep  and  true  Chris- 
tianity. He  spoke  a  word  of  cordial  invitation 
to  me  at  college  which  I  never  forgot,  and  at 
Princeton,  again,  his  presence  was  singularly 
helpful  to  me." 

Another  who  was  with  him  at  school  and 
college  writes  : 

"  He  took  a  leading  stand  in  class  from  the 
very  first  term  until  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment as  Valedictorian.  While  a  hard  worker, 
he  was  no  mere  plodder,  but  a  man  of  broad 
brain  and  earnest  purpose.  He  was  a  universal 
favorite.  He  won  the  respect  of  his  teachers 
not  by  fawning  and  flattery,  but  by  honest  work 
and  irreproachable  deportment.  He  never  en- 
tered into  any  of  the  political  scheming  which 
always  divides  classes  into  cliques,  but  was  the 
friend  of  everybody.  He  was  a  thoroughly  hon- 
est friend,  ready  to  withstand  you  to  your  face, 


14       A   Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

but  his  rebukes  were  always  given  without  acri- 
mony. We  always  understood  that  he  was  a 
high-toned  Christian  man. 

"  I  remember  a  little  argument  we  had  one 
day  about  the  use  of  '  ponies.'  I  thought  it  not 
amiss,  and  bought  a  Bohn  for  every  Tauch- 
nitz.  He  called  me  to  account  for  it,  and  gave 
his  experience,  which  I  think  was  unique  in  our 
class,  of  a  man  who  had  walked  every  step  of 
the  weary  way  through  the  classics. 

"  I  remember  well  his  able  exercises  in  college 
prayer-meetings,  and  in  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association,  where  he  was  always  ready  to 
confess  his  Master. 

"  I  was  never  at  his  house,  except  when  the 
class  was  so  hospitably  entertained  at  the  Sing 
Sing  mansion  the  week  we  graduated.  That 
was  a  red-letter  day  in  college  life;  we  did 
enjoy  it  hugely.  I  have  pictures  of  all  its  scenes 
hung  up  in  memory. 

"  In  conclusion,  let  me  say  that  I  never  had 
a  friend  who,  boy  and  man,  has  left  on  my  heart 
such  an  impression  of  noble,  exalted  manhood. 
Courageous  yet  gentle,  brave  but  not  pugna- 
cious, conscientious,  studious,  pious,  he  would 
have  been  a  martyr  had  he  lived  in  the  days  of 
the  stake  and  the  scaffold;  as  it  was,  he  walked 
with  God,  and  in  his  earthward  conversation 
was  a  laborious,  useful  servant  of  the  Crucified." 

Still  another,  a  seminary  friend,  writes: 

"After  the  interval  of  twenty  years  since  I  saw 
him,  my  recollections  are  more  of  a  general  char- 


Early  Days.  15 

acter  than  of  particular  impressions,  more  a 
sweet  fragrance  of  precious  memory  that  cannot 
be  precisely  defined  or  measured  than  anything 
that  can  be  brought  into  formal  expression  in 
words.  There  was  no  one  of  the  students  in  the 
seminary,  among  many  noted  men,  who  com- 
manded to  a  higher  degree  the  respect  and 
esteem  and,  I  may  add,  the  admiration  of  all. 
Certainly  I  can  say  for  myself  that  no  other 
made  so  deep  an  impression  upon  me  as  he  did, 
and  the  remembrance  of  what  he  was  as  a  model 
Christian  gentleman,  a  sincere  and  earnest  man 
of  God,  has  been  to  me  an  inspiration  whose 
influence  for  good  I  have,  as  a  minister  of  the 
gospel,  often  felt,  and  still  feel.  I  recall  one 
instance  in  particular  in  which  he  has  been  in 
my  thoughts  many  times  in  all  these  years. 
The  Sabbath  afternoon  conference  in  the  ora- 
tory is  an  institution  peculiar  to  Princeton 
Seminary,  I  believe.  The  professors,  two  or 
three  of  them,  speak  in  turn  to  all  the  students 
on  some  previously  announced  topic.  These 
meetings  are  very  greatly  esteemed  by  the 
students,  and  they  are  often  peculiarly  precious 
in  their  seasonable  instructions  and  the  spiritual 
privilege  which  they  furnish.  I  think  the  topic 
at  the  time  referred  to  was  'The  Holy  Spirit,' 
and  the  addresses  were  so  tender,  and  the 
minds  of  all  were  so  under  the  influence  of  the 
theme  and  the  occasion,  that  it  seemed  at  the 
close  as  if  a  word,  even  a  prayer,  from  another 
voice  would  mar  the  delightful  harmony  and 
grate  upon  the  feelings.  Dr.  Hodge  called 
upon  Mr.  Cochran  to  offer  the  closing  prayer, 


1 6       A   Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

and  his  first  words  of  address  to  the  Holy  Spirit, 
'O  Thou  Spirit  of  all  grace,'  just  seemed  to  be 
the  fitting  expression  of  pent  up  feeling,  while 
the  prayer  that  followed  completed  the  impres- 
sion of  the  Spirit's  nearness,  of  His  abiding 
presence  and  power.  I  have  never  had  a  more 
decided  conviction  of  its  being  the  right  man  at 
the  right  time  than  when  Cochran  offered  that 
prayer.  He  was  a  man  among  a  thousand,  and 
I  have  often  thought  of  him  as  an  illustration 
of  those  words.  His  very  face  was  a  benedic- 
tion, and,  as  it  seems  to  me,  his  life  in  any 
community  would  be  a  blessing  to  them,  and  a 
forcible  preaching  of  the  gospel,  even  if  he  had 
never  entered  the  pulpit.  He  was  a  preacher 
of  no  mean  intellectual  force,  but  pre-eminently 
all  who  knew  him  would  pronounce  him  a  true 
man  and  a  good  man,  and  I  know  of  no  higher 
praise  than  that.  Of  a  singularly  lovely  spirit, 
he  was  withal  a  thoroughly  manly  man.  His 
piety  was  not  only  of  that  true  and  sterling 
stamp  which  admits  of  no  question,  but  he  was 
also  endowed  with  good  strong  common  sense 
and  a  well-balanced  judgment,  which  made  him 
a  wise  counselor,  as  I  have  personal  reason  to 
remember.  His  prominence  among  the  students 
was  due  entirely  to  his  force  of  character  and 
personal  worth.  In  many  ways,  and  in  many 
places,  and  to  many  hearts  it  is  emphatically 
true  that  the  charming  and  blessed  influence  of 
his  beautiful  life  will  long  remain,  and  that  he, 
being  dead,  yet  speaketh." 

On  July  22,  1863,  his  only  sister,  Mary,  mar- 


Early  Days.  17 

ried  the  Rev.  Thomas  Carter,  and  went  to 
live  at  Pluckamin,  N.  J.  The  house  at  Sing 
Sing-  was  then  sold,  severing  another  tender  tie. 
In  the  summer  of  1864  Mr.  Cochran  and  his  two 
brothers,  with  some  young  friends,  went  to  the 
Adirondack's  to  spend  some  weeks  camping  out, 
hunting  and  fishing.  A  week  or  two  passed 
delightfully, when  suddenly  the  youngest  broth- 
er, Samuel,  eighteen  years  of  age,  was  taken 
with  very  severe  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs. 
They  were  at  a  distance  from  any  physician, 
but  removed  him,  as  soon  as  he  was  able,  to  a 
hotel, where  there  was  a  doctor  from  Boston  who 
made  lung  troubles  a  specialty.  But  they  had 
to  send  ninety  miles  through  the  woods  when 
a  prescription  had  to  be  put  up.  Twenty  years 
afterward  a  friend  and  classmate,  visiting  the 
Adirondacks,  and  seeing  Mr.  Cochran's  famil- 
iar writing  in  a  presentation  inscription  in  a 
Bible  in  the  hotel  parlor,  spoke  of  him  to  the 
hostess,  and  found  that,  though  in  the  interven- 
ing years  hundreds  had  come  and  gone,  she 
retained  a  very  definite  remembrance  of  him, 
and  was  enthusiastic  in  his  praises. 

Though  the  lad  lived  nearly  five  years  from 
this  time,  his  life  was  a  constant  struggle  with 
ill  health.  Mr.  Cochran's  love  for  this  young 
brother  was  very  tender.     He  regarded  him  as 


1 8       A   Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

"brother  at  once,  and  son,"  and  the  boy 
looked  upon  him  as  taking  to  some  extent  the 
father's  place.  He  used  to  call  him  "  Old  Bill," 
with  a  very  tender  undertone  beneath  the  boy- 
ishly familiar  name.  In  the  fall  Mr.  Cochran 
accompanied  this  brother  to  the  West  Indies, 
whither  he  had  been  ordered  by  his  physician. 
In  this  journey  they  were  accompanied  by  Mr. 
Frederick  Hosford,  an  intimate  friend,  who  had 
been  with  Mr.  Cochran  in  school,  college,  and 
seminary,  who  was  also  in  failing  health,  and 
who  died  the  following  year.  This  absence  in 
the  West  Indies  necessitated  leaving  the  sem- 
inary for  a  year,  and  the  interruption  to  his  stud- 
ies was  a  great  trial  to  Mr.  Cochran,  but  he  was 
ever  ready  to  sacrifice  his  own  interests  to  the 
good  of  others,  and  the  duty  in  this  case  seem- 
ed imperative.  They  spent  the  greater  part  of 
the  winter  in  a  resort  among  the  hills  of  Ja- 
maica, and  then  visited  Cuba  and  the  Barba- 
does.  He  was  too  earnest  a  student  not  to 
spend  much  of  his  time  over  his  books,  but  he 
greatly  enjoyed  the  tropical  scenery,  fruits,  and 
flowers.  His  own  class  in  Princeton  graduated 
before  his  return  to  the  North,  but  the  follow- 
ing fall  he  entered  the  next  class,  and  grad- 
uated with  it  in  1866.  On  October  II,  1865, 
he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Second  Pres- 


Early  Days.  19 

bytery  of  New  York,  and  in  December  of  the 
same  year  he  became  engaged  to  Annie,  only 
daughter  of  Mr.  Robert  Carter,  publisher,  of 
New  York,  whose  eldest  son,  Thomas,  had  been 
married  three  years  before  to  Mr.  Cochran's 
only  sister.  This  double  connection  was  pro- 
ductive of  the  greatest  happiness.  He  was 
received  as  a  son  and  brother  into  the  family, 
and  the  tie  of  adoption  became  in  time  as  strong 
as  that  of  blood.  There  was  entire  community 
of  thought  and  feeling  between  him  and  his 
betrothed  wife.  The  union  only  grew  stronger 
and  more  tender  with  passing  years,  a  union 
which  death  itself  could  not  sever.  There  is 
nothing  more  beautiful  in  romance  than  his 
letters,  both  before  and  after  marriage,  letters 
in  which  his  whole  soul  shone  forth.  In  Mr. 
Carter's  family  a  patriarchal  fashion  obtained 
for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  which  was  unique  in 
its  way.  He  had  two  sons  and  a  son-in-law  in 
the  ministry,  and  during  their  vacations  he  took 
all  his  descendants  to  some  pleasant  summer 
resort  among  the  hills  or  by  the  shore.  Twenty 
of  these  annual  summer  holidays  were  spent 
among  the  Berkshire  hills  at  Stockbridge  and 
South  Egremont,  Mass.  Sometimes  the  party 
was  increased  by  intimate  friends  until  it  num- 
bered nearly  forty.  All  depended  upon  and  clus- 


20       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  CocJiran. 

tered  around  the  aged  couple, who  found  so  much 
of  their  happiness  in  making  the  happiness  of 
others.  These  were  bright  and  sunny  days  to 
all,  and  will  furnish  happy  memories  to  the 
young  people  till  their  locks  are  gray.  None 
entered  more  heartily  than  Mr.  Cochran  into 
the  spirit  of  these  gatherings,  both  before  and 
after  his  marriage,  and  he  was  always  foremost 
in  games  and  straw-rides,  and  merry-makings 
of  all  kinds.  Sometimes  the  ministers  would 
send  off  the  clergyman  of  the  village  for  his 
well-earned  vacation,  supplying  his  place  in  the 
pulpit  and  prayer-meeting,  and  always  taking  a 
large  part  in  all  the  religious  gatherings  of  the 
neighborhood. 

Mr.  Cochran  graduated  from  the  seminary  in 
the  spring  of  1866,  and  in  October  of  the  fol- 
lowing year  went  to  Europe,  accompanied  by 
his  aunt,  Mrs.  Samuel  Cochran,  and  his  young- 
est brother,  both  of  whom  were  in  delicate 
health.  His  trip  was  a  source  of  immense  plea- 
sure and  profit  to  him.  His  cultivated  mind 
reveled  in  the  scenes  of  ancient  and  modern 
history,  and  his  religious  nature  was  quickened 
by  a  further  extension  of  the  journey  to  Egypt 
and  Palestine.  The  latter  part  of  the  journey 
was  of  especial  value  to  him  in  his  ministerial 
work.     As  he  went  he  preached,  not  only  in 


Early  Days.  21 

frequent  public  services,  but  in  words  dropped 
by  the  way,  to  fellow-travelers,  guides,  sailors, 
sometimes  in  French,  Italian,  or  German. 

A  few  extracts  from  his  letters  and  journals 
find  appropriate  place  here.  The  first  was  writ- 
ten just  after  his  landing-  from  the  Scotia,  and 
gives  his  earliest  impressions  of  a  foreign  land. 

"  Like  many  others,  we  found  ourselves,  on 
awaking  in  the  harbor  of  Liverpool,  in  the 
friendly  embraces  of  a  fog.  Cold  and  clammy, 
like  a  great  snake's,  were  its  folds,  but  we  were 
more  fortunate  than  many,  for  it  soon  released 
us,  so  that  we  could  begin  to  see  objects  at  a 
distance  of  a  few  yards,  and  finally  it  lifted  en- 
tirely, and  disclosed  the  white  stone  quays,  the 
forest  of  masts,  the  piles  of  stone  buildings,  the 
puffing  of  ferry-boats,  all,  in  fact,  that  can  be 
seen  in  one  of  the  largest  ports  in  the  world. 
On  shore  I  was  delighted  with  almost  every- 
thing I  saw.  I  expected  to  see  a  dingy,  dirty- 
looking  town,  with  narrow  streets  and  heavy, 
gloomy-looking  houses;  and  I  was  not  prepared 
for  the  air  of  perfection  and  completeness 
which  seems  to  surround  everything  here.  The 
buildings  look  as  if  they  were  intended  to  last 
forever;  some  of  the  old  ones  almost  as  if  they 
had  lasted  forever.  The  same  thing  may  be 
said  of  the  docks,  and  even  the  pavements  of 
the  streets.  We  left  for  London  at  4  o'clock, 
and  had  just  enough  of  daylight  left  to  receive 
our  first  impressions  of  English  scenery. 


22       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  IV.  Cochran* 

"  Again  I  was  astonished  and  delighted.  To 
see  the  whole  country  like  a  garden — for  fields 
and  hedges  were  still  green;  to  see  every  spot 
of  ground  cultivated;  to  dash  through  little  vil- 
lages with  their  quaint-looking  old  houses  and 
their  pretty,  ivy-grown  churches;  to  see  atten- 
tion paid  to  the  architectural  beauty  of  even  the 
most  common  buildings — such  as  railway  sta- 
tions and  engine-houses;  to  see  the  hardness 
and  smoothness  of  the  roads,  and  the  regularity 
of  the  fields — all  these  things  were  new  to  me, 
and  produced  an  impression  such  as  I  had  never 
received  from  any  other  landscape." 

He  thus  describes  a  service  at  Spurgeon's 
church: 

"  It  is  almost  worth  a  trip  across  the  At- 
lantic to  attend  a  service  at  the  Tabernacle. 
I  do  not  say,  to  hear  Spurgeon — for  more  won- 
derful far  than  the  man,  wonderful  as  he  is,  are 
the  circumstances  under  which  he  preaches.  We 
arrived  at  the  door  just  at  the  right  time.  We 
were  not  aware  of  this,  however,  and  our  hearts 
sank  within  us  when  we  saw  the  crowds  on  the 
steps  reaching  out  to  the  sidewalk.  We  soon 
perceived  that  there  was  an  onward  movement, 
however,  and  learned  that  the  doors  had  just 
been  opened  to  the  outsiders.  Being  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  crowd,  we  escaped  a  pressing. 
Gradually  we  made  our  way  in  at  the  side  door. 
Two  pairs  of  stairs  confronted  us.  Wishing  to 
take  those  to  the  lower  gallery,  we  got  upon 
those  to  the  higher,  and  on  entering  the  build- 
ing were  almost  made  dizzy  by  the  height  at 


Earfy  Days.  23 

which  we  were  standing.  The  building  was 
already  crowded;  the  aisles  were  full  of  people. 
We  were  fortunate  enough  to  secure  good  seats 
opposite  the  preacher,  and  a  place  from  which 
we  could  see  almost  every  person  in  the  house. 
But,  opposite  to  the  preacher,  I  could  hardly 
see  him,  and  gained  no  idea  at  all  of  his  per- 
sonal appearance.  I  was  so  far  away,  and  the 
atmosphere  of  the  building  was  so  foggy,  that 
I  could  hardly  see  him  gesture.  The  building 
is  in  the  form  of  an  ellipse;  Mr.  Spurgeon  stood 
near  one  end,  and  I  at  the  opposite.  But  Mr. 
Spurgeon  rose;  there  was  a  little  bustle  of  ar- 
rangements for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  all  that 
vast  multitude  was  still.  I  shall  never  forget 
the  impression  made  upon  me  as  I  looked  upon 
them.  Every  available  spot  was  occupied. 
There  were  no  aisles,  no  seats,  no  steps,  every- 
where were  people,  people,  people.  I  could  not 
but  think  what  a  terrible  commotion  an  alarm 
of  fire  would  cause  in  such  a  place.  But  Mr. 
Spurgeon  is  beginning  to  read  the  hymn.  I  can 
hardly  see  him,  but  I  can  hear  him;  not  one 
word,  not  one  syllable  is  lost;  all  is  clear,  dis- 
tinct, and  natural.  And  then  came  the  perfec- 
tion of  congregational  singing.  There  was  no 
organ,  but  I  did  not  know  it  until- afterwards. 
There  was  hardly  any  leading,  but  excellent 
time  was  kept.  All  arose,  and  all  sang,  and 
such  a  volume  of  sound  and  volume  of  praise  I 
never  before  heard.  It  may  have  been  worse 
music,  but  was  certainly  better  worship  than 
the  singing  at  St.  Paul's  in  the  afternoon.  The 
only  thing   to  which  I'  can  compare   it  is  the 


24       A   Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  IV.  Cochran. 

singing  of  the  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand 
in  the  Apocalypse.  After  the  singing  Mr.  Spur- 
geon  prayed;  and  it  was  a  beautiful  prayer, 
simple,  reverential,  natural,  earnest,  and  calm. 
It  went  right  to  the  heart.  Then  he  read  part 
of  a  chapter,  and  commented  on  it,  and  then 
we  sang  again;  then  he  gave  out  the  text,  Mai. 
iv.  2:  '  But  unto  you  that  fear  my  name  shall 
the  Son  of  Righteousness  arise  with  healing  in 
His  wings.'  In  his  introduction  he  spoke  of  the 
different  senses  in  which  the  coming  of  Christ 
was  represented  in  the  Bible.  He  then  gave  a 
somewhat  extended  explanation  of  the  expres- 
sion, 'Unto  you  that  fear  my  name,'  and  then 
showed  how  Christ  was,  like  the  sun,  the  source 
of  life  and  the  source  of  growth.  From  this  he 
passed  to  speak  of  and  to  young  converts,  of 
whom  there  have  been  a  good  many  added  to 
his  church  lately.  His  sermon  was  rather  an 
expository  and  hortatory  address  than  a  ser- 
mon. His  power,  I  think,  lies  in  three  things: 
First,  and  mainly,  he  preaches  the  gospel. 
Nothing  but  this  could  account  for  the  masses 
of  people  flocking  to  hear  him,  for  he  does  not 
excite  the  feelings:  he  reaches  the  heart  through 
the  intellect.  The  second  source  of  his  power 
is,  doubtless,  the  way  in  which  he  presses  the 
truth.  There  is  nothing  abstract  about  it, 
everything  is  simple  and  connected;  he  appeals 
often  to  experience;  every  truth  is  made  prac- 
tical. The  third,  and  not  the  least,  source  of 
power  is  his  perfect  oratory.  It  is  distinct ;  in 
the  vast  building  each  person,  I   think,  could 


Early  Days.  25 

hear  every  word.  And  then  the  emphasis  was 
natural  and  the  manner  earnest. 

"  But  whether  I  am  correct  or  not  in  naming 
these  as  his  sources  of  power,  one  thing  is  cer- 
tain, that  every  Christian  must  rejoice  that  so 
many  people  can  and  do  listen  to  the  truth 
from  the  lips  of  one  man.  Who  can  limit  the 
power  for  good  of  a  man  'full  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  of  faith'  ? 

"  On  inquiry,  after  the  service,  we  were  told 
that  the  building  would  seat  five  thousand. 
There  are  three  thousand  six  hundred  mem- 
bers, and  the  Communion  is  administered  after 
service  each  Sabbath  evening  in  the  lecture- 
room  to  a  certain  number  of  communicants. 
All  meet  together  once  a  year  in  the  church 
for  the  same  purpose.  If  every  Christian  could 
only  exercise  the  influence  which  this  man  does, 
the  world  would  soon  be  Christian." 

Mr.  Cochran  spent  some  delightful  months 
in  France  and  Italy.  Early  in  March,  1867,  he 
started  with  two  companions  for  Egypt  and 
Palestine,  stopping  on  the  way  in  Sicily  and 
Malta.  From  Catania  he  ascended  Monte 
Rossi,  an  extinct  crater  of  Mount  ^Etna.  He 
writes: 

"  From  its  summit  we  had  a  fine  view  of  ^Etna 
on  the  one  side,  snow-capped,  and,  for  a  won- 
der, without  a  cloud;  and  on  the  other,  the 
whole  plain  stretching  down  to  the  sea,  from 


26       A   Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

acres  of  lava  black  and  desolate  to  a  broad 
green  belt  of  vegetation  in  the  distance.  One 
of  the  most  striking  things  in  the  landscape  is 
the  number  of  extinct  craters  to  be  seen.  There 
are  as  many  as  eighty  about  the  mountain. 
While  I  was  at  the  top,  I  had  quite  a  talk  with 
my  guide  in  Italian.  I  obtained  from  Rev.  Mr. 
Buscarlet,  in  Naples,  portions  of  the  Scripture  in 
Italian,  and  I  have  been  giving  them  away  as 
I  found  opportunity  on  my  journey.  I  have 
seldom,  however,  ventured  to  add  any  words, 
my  stock  of  Italian  being  small,  but  I  found 
that  I  had  enough  to  point  these  men  to  Christ, 
and  to  Christ  alone.  This  has  opened  to  me  a 
way  of  doing  more  practical  good  as  I  go  along. 
No  one  knows  what  fruit  such  poor  little  dry 
seeds,  dropped  by  such  unworthy  hands,  may 
bring  forth.  Sometimes  I  think  that  it  is  al- 
most hypocritical  in  me  to  urge  others  to  be 
good,  and  I  cannot  help  thinking  of  the  text, 
'  Lest  having  preached  to  others,  I  myself 
should  prove  a  castaway.'  Pray  for  me  lest 
that  should  happen. 

#  *  *  ■*  #  * 

"The  moment  we  landed  in  Alexandria  we 
were  introduced  into  a  new  world.  Everything 
is  different  —  faces,  dress,  customs,  building, 
scenery,  and  associations.  The  turbaned  heads 
and  loose  and  flowing  garments  of  the  men,  the 
veiled  faces  of  the  women,  are  a  never-failing 
source  of  interest  and  pleasure.  I  have  had 
already  many  interesting  illustrations  of  Bible 
customs,  and,  indeed,  almost  the  whole  book 


Early  Days.  27 

seems  new  to  me,  and  will,  no  doubt,  appear 
more  and  more  so  as  I  go  nearer  the  scenes  of 
its  principal  events. 

«  *  *  *  *  * 

"At  length  the  hopes  of  many  days  have  been 
realized:  '  Our  feet  stand  within  thy  gates,  O 
Jerusalem.'  My  eyes  have  seen  that  city  of 
which  all  Christians  have  read  and  thought  so 
much,  which  is,  for  her  past  if  not  her  pres- 
ent position,  'the  joy  of  the  whole  earth.'  I  do 
not  see  how  any  one  can  help  being  disappoint- 
ed by  their  first  view  of  it.  However  much  one 
may  try  to  restrain  his  imagination,  knowing 
that  her  glory  is  departed,  that  a  curse  is  rest- 
ing upon  her,  that  she  has  been  trodden  under 
foot  of  the  Gentiles — the  vivid  and  inspired 
descriptions  of  the  Psalmist  styling  it  'the  per- 
fection of  beauty ' — the  imaginings  of  a  lifetime, 
connected  with  the  great  events  of  which  it  has 
been  the  theatre,  cause  one  to  hope,  in  spite  of 
one's  self,  that  it  is  better  than  it  has  been 
represented.  I  must  acknowledge  that  I  was 
disappointed  in  my  first  view  of  the  city.  We 
came  in  sight  of  it  yesterday  afternoon  about 
4:30  P.  M.  We  had  been  riding  almost  all  day, 
having  only  rested  for  three-quarters  of  an  hour. 
The  road  was  exceedingly  rough,  leading 
through  the  ravines  of  the  mountains  of  Judea, 
sometimes,  apparently,  over  the  dry  beds  of 
streams.  The  place  was  pointed  out  to  me 
where  I  would  get  the  first  view  of  the  city. 
Some  domes  appeared  over  the  brow  of  the  hill, 
a  long  white  quadrangular  building  next  came 


28       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

in  view,  and  while  I  was  meditating  whether 
that  could  possibly  be  the  mosque  of  Omar,  my 
guide  informed  me  that  it  was  the  Greek  con- 
vent. It  was  by  far  the  most  prominent  object 
in  the  landscape,  and  seemed,  from  this  point, 
to  cover  about  as  much  ground  as  the  city  itself. 
This  was  very  provoking — to  see  a  thing  of  such 
small  importance  thrusting  itself  forward  in 
such  an  impertinent  way.  The  interior  of  the 
city  did  not  disappoint  me.  I  was  prepared  to 
find  it  like  any  other  Eastern  city,  and  I  did 
find  it  so. 

****** 

"In  the  afternoon  I  went  out  alone  to  the 
Mount  of  Olives.  My  thoughts  were  subdued, 
but  pleasant,  as  I  walked  up  the  hill.  There  is 
little  doubt  that  the  Saviour's  feet  trod  many 
times  the  same  road.  My  heart  was  full,  and 
yet  to  walk  in  His  footsteps  is  really  to  follow 
His  example.  I  walked  over  the  top  of  the  hill 
until  I  could  see  Bethany,  and  had  a  fine  view 
of  the  city  and  the  surrounding  country.  I  felt 
now  more  than  satisfied  of  the  truth  of  David's 
expression,  '  Beautiful  for  situation,  the  joy  of 
the  whole  earth  is  Mount  Zion,  on  the  sides  of 
the  north.'  I  had  seen  it  before  from  the  west, 
I  now  saw  it  from  the  northeast.  In  my  walks 
during  the  day  I  went  about  once  and  a  half 
around  the  walls  of  the  city.  Yesterday  morn- 
ing we  spent  in  the  valleys.  We  went  down 
into  the  valley  of  the  Son  of  Hinnom,  on  the 
south  of  the  city,  formed  by  Zion  on  the  east 
and  the  hill  of  Evil  Counsel  on  the  west.     In 


Early  Days.  29 

the  valley  are  the  upper  and  lower  pools  of 
Gihon,  now  dry  reservoirs,  and  on  the  side  of 
the  hill,  among  numerous  tombs,  is  shown  the 
Aceldama,  or  potter's  field.  It  is  a  deep  pit, 
where  bodies  have  evidently  been  thrown,  as 
scores  can  still  be  seen  at  the  bottom.  The 
tree  is  shown,  too,  on  which  Judas  hanged 
himself.  If  this  be  the  neighborhood  where  it 
occurred,  the  fact  of  his  falling  headlong  may 
be  explained,  as  there  are  many  trees  overhang- 
ing the  precipitous  sides.  But  this  is  not  neces- 
sary, as  the  Greek  has  it,  'falling  down,  or  flat.' 
"They  had  communion  yesterday  morning  in 
the  English  church,  and  I  partook  with  them, 
the  first  time  that  I  ever  did  so  in  the  Episco- 
pal form.  The  novelty  of  the  form  and  the 
circumstances  could  not  but  make  a  deep  im- 
pression upon  me,  partaking  of  the  Supper  where 
it  was  first  instituted,  hearing  the  words  which 
were  spoken  over  eighteen  hundred  years  ago. 
After  dinner  I  read  over  the  gospels  of  Matthew 
and  Mark,  in  order  to  fix  in  my  mind  the  main 
events  in  the  life  of  Christ.  I  have  felt  more 
the  personal  existence  of  Christ,  as  a  man,  since 
my  stay  here  than  at  any  other  time  in  my  life, 
except,  perhaps,  just  after  my  conversion,  and 
the  different  stages  of  my  feelings  have  been 
somewhat  similar  to  my  experience  then.  Oh, 
pray  for  me,  that  I  may  experience  a  new  con- 
version here — that  the  Holy  Spirit  here  prom- 
ised by  the  Saviour,  and  here  descending  first 
according  to  the  promise,  may  come  and  dwell 
in  my  heart,  and  fill  me  with  zeal  and  love  for 
His  service. 


30      A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

"  I  had  a  delightful  walk  to  Bethany  with  Mr. 
Porter  in  the  afternoon.  The  day  was  bright 
and  beautiful,  with  loose  clouds  floating  about 
the  sky,  and  a  cool  breeze.  It  seemed  like  a 
September  day  at  home.  There  are  three  roads 
to  Bethany,  two  going  right  over  Olivet,  and 
one  around  its  shoulder.  Stanley  thinks  that 
the  triumphal  entry  was  by  the  latter,  and  gives 
very  good  reasons  for  his  opinion.  The  fullest 
account  is  that  of  Lukexix.  38,  and  you  will  no- 
tice that  there  is  a  sort  of  division.  In  verse  37 
it  speaks  of  coming  nigh,  and  in  verse  41  of 
coming  near.  This  suits  the  situation  very 
well,  as  a  small  portion  of  the  city  is  seen  at  a 
point  farther  off,  and  then  it  bursts  on  the  view 
as  one  comes  around  the  shoulder  of  the  mount- 
ain. We  knew,  however,  as  we  trod  the  stony 
road  that  the  feet  of  the  Saviour  had  often 
trodden  it.  We  spoke  of  the  first  Christian 
Sabbath — the  joy  of  the  apostles  over  the  res- 
urrection. We  thought  of  the  two  disciples  who 
went  that  day  to  Emmaus,  who  were  joined  by 
a  third  person.  We  sat  down  on  a  stone  to 
enjoy  a  view  of  the  city.  From  this  point  it 
appeared  covering  a  peninsula  of  mountain,  cut 
off  from  those  about  it  by  the  valley  of  the 
Cedron  on  one  side  and  of  Hinnom  on  the  oth- 
er. The  path  was  full  of  loose  stones,  and  the 
whole  country  was  very  rocky.  How  vivid 
seemed  the  words  addressed  to  the  Pharisees, 
'  If  these  should  hold  their  peace,  the  stones 
would  cry  out.'  The  road  winds  around  the 
Mount  of  Olives,  and  after  crossing  the  valley 
by  a  sort  of  ridge,  winds  round  a  second  hill. 


Early  Days.  31 

"This  was  right  over  Bethany,  and  it  may  have 
been  from  it  that  Christ  ascended,  as  the  ac- 
count says  that  he  led  his  disciples  out  'as  far 
as  to  Bethany.'  It  may  have  been  from  it,  too, 
that  he  cursed  the  fig-tree,  and  then  how  vivid 
become  the  words,  'Ye  shall  say  unto  this 
mountain,  Be  thou  cast  into  the  sea.'  A  por- 
tion of  the  Dead  Sea  can  be  seen  from  here. 

"  The  village  of  Bethany  is  on  the  side  of  the 
hill  facing  the  east,  and  has  a  beautiful  view  of 
the  mountains  of  Judea,  of  an  arm  of  the  Dead 
Sea,  and  of  the  mountains  of  Moab  on  the  other 
side.  We  did  not  go  to  see  the  traditional  cave 
of  Lazarus,  but,  passing  through  the  village  to 
get  rid  of  the  importunities  of  the  children  who 
made  a  din  with  their  cries  of  'Backsheesh!' 
we  sat  down  near  the  mouth  of  a  cave,  perhaps 
the  one  in  which  Lazarus  was  buried,  and  with 
that  view  before  us — which  had,  no  doubt,  often 
refreshed  the  eyes  of  the  Saviour  when  he  re- 
turned to  rest  after  teaching  all  day  among  a 
perverse  and  disbelieving  people — we  read  that 
beautiful  eleventh  of  John.  Never  before  had 
it  such  meaning  to  us.  The  house  was  here, 
the  sisters  and  brother  had  been  here,  the  Jews 
came  here  to  weep  with  Mary.  Christ  came 
here,  the  sisters  met  him  near  here,  and  it  was 
within  sound  of  my  voice,  as  I  read,  that  the 
very  prayer  I  read,  and  the  command  'Lazarus, 
come  forth,'  was  uttered.  It  was  to  look  again 
on  that  beautiful  view  that  he  came  forth.  Do 
you  wonder  that  we  were  deeply  impressed  ? 
What  an  argument  for  the  truth  of  the  gospel 
that  a  stranger  from  a  land  thousands  of  miles 


32       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

off  should  bear  witness  to  the  truth  of  the  words, 
1 1  know  that  Thou  hearest  me  always ' !  When 
we  consider  this,  can  we  doubt  that  He  will  ask 
of  God,  and  He  will  give  Him  the  heathen  for 
His  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth  for  His  possession  ? 

****** 

"  For  five  days  I  have  been  a  dweller  in  tents. 
I  had  a  little  of  the  experience  of  those  who, 
by  contrast,  were  taught  to  seek  a  city  having 
foundations.  But  our  tents  were  certainly  very 
different  from  theirs.  At  the  close  of  each 
day's  journey  we  formed  our  encampment  of 
three  tents.  Hanna  (Anglice,  John),  our  waiter, 
welcomed  us  and  offered  lemonade.  We  enter- 
ed the  largest  tent.  It  was  circular,  as  they  all 
are,  supported  by  a  pole  in  the  middle,  having 
a  light  iron  bedstead  on  each  of  two  sides,  and 
a  table  standing  close  against  the  pole.  This 
was  already  spread  for  dinner,  which  was  soon 
brought  in  from  the  other  large  tent.  Our  fare 
was  excellent,  as  good  as  in  most  of  the  Italian 
hotels.  After  dinner  we  read  a  little — but  were 
almost  too  tired  to  do  much — and  then  retired. 
The  weather  has  been  delightful,  the  mode  of 
life  agrees  with  me,  and  my  appetite  grows 
better  every  day.  You  would  hardly  know  me 
if  you  should  meet  me  as  I  ride  along  here,  a 
white  covering  on  my  hat,  a  light  umbrella  over 
my  head,  a  revolver  buckled  on  outside  of  my 
coat.  I  have  the  only  weapon  in  the  party,  but 
am  glad  that  I  brought  it,  as  showing  it  does 
away  entirely  with  the  necessity  for  using  it. 


Early  Days.  33 

The  American  flag  floats  over  the  tent,  so  that 
the  soil  becomes  in  a  sense  our  own  land.  We 
have  prayers  together  every  night,  which  is 
very  pleasant,  especially  as  our  thoughts  and 
feelings  are  generally  quickened  by  the  associa- 
tions about  us. 

"We  left  Jerusalem  last  Tuesday  morning, 
and,  passing  over  the  plains  of  Rephaim,  south 
of  the  city,  where  David  defeated  the  Philis- 
tines, stopping  to  look  at  the  building  which 
covers  the  tomb  of  Rachel  (admitted  by  all  to 
be  such),  we  arrived  about  noon  at  the  head  of 
a  valley  where  there  are  three  great  reservoirs, 
called  Solomon's  Pools.  They  once  supplied 
the  Holy  City  with  water,  and  are  thought  to 
be  the  pools  mentioned  in  Ecclesiastes.  After 
resting  a  while,  we  took  the  road,  still  to  the 
south — the  road  which  Abraham  took  to  Moriah 
to  offer  up  Isaac,  the  road  which  David  after- 
ward took  when  he  reigned  in  Hebron,  the  road 
which  perhaps  the  Magi  took  on  their  return, 
and  which  the  flying  parents  took  to  Egypt. 
When  we  were  near  Hebron  we  made  a  detour 
to  the  right,  and  were  soon  amid  vineyards  and 
olive  groves,  and  came  before  long  to  the  oak 
which  is  pointed  out  as  the  one  under  which 
Abraham  sat.  From  here  we  turned  into  the 
valley  of  Eshcol,  still  wine-growing  and  fertile, 
and  were  soon  at  our  tents  opposite  Hebron. 
There,  on  the  hill-side  over  against  us,  was  the 
cave  of  Machpelah,  where  still,  perhaps,  rests 
the  embalmed  body  of  Jacob,  as  it  was  brought 
from  Egypt. 

"The  next  morning,  after  a  view  from    the 


34       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  IV.  Cochran. 

hill  to  the  south,  we  entered  the  town.  Here 
Abraham  lived  for  a  long  time,  sent  out  Hagar, 
received  the  angels.  Here  David  reigned  seven 
years,  and  perhaps  over  the  very  pool  which 
we  passed  this  morning  he  hung  the  murderers 
of  Ishbosheth.  Guided  by  some  boys  we  got  a 
look  into  the  mosque  area,  and  excited  thereby 
the  ire  of  the  Moslems.  We  returned  to  the 
Pools  of  Solomon,  passed  along  the  beautiful 
Vale  of  Ethan,  and  soon  came  in  view  of  Beth- 
lehem on  the  hill-top.  As  we  rode  through  the 
fields  where  shepherds  watched  their  flocks  on 
that  eventful  night,  these  words  naturally  came 
to  mind,  '  And  suddenly  there  was  with  the 
angel,'  etc.  We  visited  the  Church  of  the 
Nativity,  and  the  grotto  which  may  or  may 
not  have  been  the  stable,  before  we  went  to 
our  tents.  In  the  evening  we  read  the  stories 
of  Ruth  and  David,  and  were  satisfied  with  the 
thought  that,  whether  the  particular  locality  is 
known  or  not,  this  is  the  place  where  the  Sav- 
iour of  mankind  was  born.  The  next  day  we 
visited  what  is  called  the  Cave  of  Adullam.  It 
is  certainly  well  calculated  for  concealment 
and  defense.  We  spent  the  night  at  Mar  Saba. 
Here  in  a  wild  gorge  in  the  wilderness  is  a 
Greek  convent  founded  by  a  monk  of  the  fourth 
century.  From  here,  on  Friday,  we  rode  to 
the  Dead  Sea  and  encamped  at  Jericho. 

I  did  not  find  the  region  of  the  Dead  Sea 
so  devoid  of  beauty  as  I  had  expected,  though 
the  scenery  is  peculiar.  We  bathed  in  the 
lake,  and  I  found  it  almost  impossible  to  keep 
my  feet  under  the  water  in  swimming.     We 


Early  Days.  35 

were  not  long  out  of  the  water  before  we  felt 
as  if  we  had  been  standing-  in  a  barrel  of  salt- 
petre, and  were  glad  about  an  hour  after  to 
wash  off  the  salt  in  the  Jordan.  This  is  a 
muddy,  rapid  stream,  something  like  the  Tiber, 
though  not  so  wide.  Mounds  of  rubbish  mark 
the  site  of  old  Jericho,  but  a  spring  is  still 
pointed  out  as  the  one  which  Elisha  healed. 
Going  up  from  Jericho  over  that  lonely  road 
which  recalled  so  vividly  the  parable  of  the 
Good  Samaritan,  we  passed  Bethlehem  about 
4:30,  and  soon  after  were  looking  down  on  the 
Holy  City  from  Olivet." 

Mr.  Cochran's  journey  through  northern 
Palestine  was  most  enjoyable.  He  saw  the 
Samaritan  passover  on  Mt.  Gerizim,  visited  the 
cedars  of  Lebanon,  and  Baalbec,  and  had  a 
delightful  time  with  the  missionaries  at  Beirut. 
Dr.  Jessup  accompanied  the  party  on  a  portion 
of  the  tour,  thus  beginning  a  friendship  which 
lasted  through  life.  Mr.  Cochran  was  at  one 
time  very  anxious  to  join  the  Syrian  mission, 
but  was  prevented  by  circumstances  beyond 
his  control.  The  Syrian  field  was  always  es- 
pecially near  his  heart,  and  when  he  had  a 
home  of  his  own  he  enjoyed  frequent  visits 
from  the  Syrian  missionaries.  His  interest  in 
missions  was  always  deep  and  heartfelt.  He 
could  not  have  been  more  faithful  and  devoted 
in  a  foreign  field  than  he  was  at  home,  a  work- 
man needing  not  to  be  ashamed. 


IN  THE  MINISTRY. 

An  extended  tour  through  Greece,  Germany, 
France,  Switzerland  and  Great  Britain  came  to 
an  end  in  November,  1867.  The  following 
winter  was  spent  in  New  York,  and  Mr.  Coch- 
ran preached  very  regularly  while  awaiting  a 
permanent  settlement.  One  of  his  Sabbaths 
was  of  great  interest  to  him  as  being  spent  in  the 
home  of  ex-President  Buchanan,  in  Lancaster, 
Pa.,  whom  he  described  as  being  a  most  court- 
ly and  agreeable  old  gentleman.  They  sat 
late  together  each  evening,  and  the  ex-Presi- 
dent gave  his  views  at  great  length  on  matters 
of  Church  and  state,  politics  and  theology. 

Mr.  Cochran  about  this  time  received  a  num- 
ber of  calls,  having  three  under  consideration 
simultaneously,  but  decided  to  accept  one  to  a 
church  in  Carmel,  Putnam  Co.,  New  York. 
He  was  ordained  and  installed  there  on  July 
13,  1 858,  Rev.  Dr.  McElroy  preaching  the  ordi- 
nation sermon.  He  was  married  on  Thursday, 
October  29,  of  the  same  year,  by  Doctors 
McElroy  and  Sutphen,  then  associate  pastors 
36 


In  the  Ministry.  37 

in  the  Scotch  Presbyterian  Church.  Dr.  McEl- 
roy  remarked  that  he  had  never,  in  his  long 
ministry,  performed  a  ceremony  where  the 
prospects  of  happiness  were  brighter — promises 
most  fully  realized. 

Light  and  shade  were  mingled  on  even  this 
happy  occasion,  as  Mr.  Cochran  parted  upon 
his  wedding  day  from  his  two  brothers,  one  of 
whom  he  never  saw  again.  A  few  days  after 
the  wedding  his  brother  Thomas  and  his  wife 
went  to  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  he  having  been  ad- 
vised to  live  in  that  climate  on  account  of  deli- 
cate lungs,  while  the  younger  brother,  Samuel, 
still  in  search  of  health,  sailed  upon  the  same 
week  for  Europe,  and  died  in  Rome,  Italy,  the 
following  March.  These  separations  were 
keenly  felt  by  Mr.  Cochran,  whose  loving  heart 
clung  to  relatives  and  friends  to  an  unusual  de- 
gree. 

Mr.  Cochran  entered  upon  his  ministerial  life 
with  all  the  ardor  of  his  earnest,  vigorous  na- 
ture, an  ardor  which  never  abated  as  he  grew 
older,  but  became  more  intense  as  years  went 
by.  He  never  spared  himself,  but  was  ready 
to  spend  and  be  spent  for  the  Master.  To  all 
remonstrances  about  overwork  he  would  reply 
that  he  never  meant  to  rust  out.  He  was 
through  life  exceedingly  active  physically.    In 


38       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  IV  Cochran. 

figure  tall,  slender,  and  agile,  he  was  always 
more  ready  to  spring  over  a  fence  than  to  go 
around  to  a  gate.  He  excelled  in  manly  exer- 
cises, and  his  graceful,  erect  bearing  was  so 
marked  that  a  lady,  a  perfect  stranger,  ex- 
claimed, on  seeing  him  on  the  street,  "  There 
goes  a  gentleman!  "  He  was  always  extremely 
courteous  in  word  and  deed,  a  thoroughly  well- 
bred  man,  a  Christian  gentleman,  because  his 
Christianity  was  a  power  in  his  whole  life. 

Carmel,  the  scene  of  his  first  pastorate,  was 
a  beautiful  place  situated  upon  a  lovely  little 
lake  surrounded  by  hills.  The  people  were 
kindly  and  intelligent  ;  the  parsonage  a  bower 
of  beauty  nestling  among  the  trees.  One  of 
these,  a  magnificent  oak,  was  deservedly  famous 
the  country  round.  Dearly  he  loved  the  people, 
and  dearly  they  loved  him,  and  it  was  a  great 
sorrow  to  both  that  the  connection  was  severed 
after  a  pastorate  of  only  eighteen  months.  While 
visiting  at  his  sister's  in  Pluckamin,  during  his 
vacation  in  the  fall  of  1869,  he  was  requested  by 
the  people  of  the  First  Church  of  Mendham, 
New  Jersey,  whose  pulpit  was  then  vacant,  to 
administer  communion  to  them  on  the  first  Sab- 
bath of  November.  Mendham  people  have  often 
said  since,  that  when  they  heard  his  first  prayer 
at  the  Preparatory  Lecture  on  Saturday  they 


///  the  Ministry.  39 

quickly  concluded,  "That  is  just  the  man  we 
want."'  It  was  indicative  of  his  spirituality  that 
his  prayers  even  more  than  his  preaching  drew 
people  to  him,  but  as  a  preacher  he  was  always 
acceptable,  both  at  home  and  abroad. 

His  great  desire  was  to  "feed  the  flock  over 
which  the  Holy  Ghost  had  made  him  overseer," 
and  once  when  he  was  told  that  one  of  his 
elders  had  characterized  him  as  a  "teaching 
preacher,"  he  remarked  that  no  commendation 
could  have  been  more  acceptable  to  him. 

He  had  refused  to  allow  himself  to  be  looked 
upon  as  a  candidate  for  the  Mendham  pulpit, 
having  no  desire  to  leave  Carmel,  where  he  was 
very  happy,  useful,  and  beloved;  but  when  a 
unanimous  call  came  he  felt  that  it  must  be 
considered  prayerfully.  He  had  reason  to  fear 
that  the  climate  of  Carmel  was  too  severe  for 
his  health,  and  when  he  consulted  the  family 
physician  in  New  York,  Dr.  James  R.  Wood,  he 
told  him  that  he  should  by  all  means  accept  the 
call.  He  said  that  there  was  some  tendency  to 
lung  trouble,  which  might  never  be  developed 
in  a  favorable  climate,  but  that  Carmel  was  un- 
suited  for  him,  and  that  disease  would  be  very 
likely  to  develop  there,  while  Mendham  had  the 
best  climate  east  of  the  Alleghanies  for  delicate 
lungs.  This  decided  the  matter,  and  Mr.  Cochran 


40       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  IV.  Cochran. 

called  his  session  together  and  presented  his 
resignation.    It  was  a  sore  trial  to  both  parties. 

Mr.  Cochran  entered  upon  his  work  at  Mend- 
ham  on  Christmas  Day,  1869,  but  was  not  in- 
stalled until  June  15,  1870.  Rev.  Dr.  Fewsmith, 
of  Newark,  preached  the  installation  sermon; 
Rev.  Dr.  Hastings,  of  New  York,  a  former  pastor, 
gave  the  charge  to  the  people  ;  Rev.  Dr.  Aik- 
man,  of  Madison,  the  charge  to  the  pastor  ; 
and  Rev.  Thomas  Carter,  the  installing  prayer. 

Mendham  is  an  historic  church,  mentioned  in 
the  lives  of  Whitefleld,  Brainerd,  and  Tennent 
under  its  Indian  name  Rocksiticus.  Doctors 
Samuel  Hanson  Cox  and  Thomas  Hastings 
were  among  the  long  line  of  honored  pastors. 
In  Revolutionary  times  its  church  building  was 
used  as  a  hospital,  and  among  the  many  old 
graves  of  the  hill-top  cemetery  are  the  tomb- 
stones of  soldiers  who  fell  in  the  War  of  the 
Revolution.  In  the  neighborhood  are  vestiges 
of  a  camp  occupied  by  a  part  of  the  army  while 
Washington  wintered  in  Morristown.  In  an 
ante-Revolutionary  stone  house  of  the  village 
are  still  treasured  some  autograph  letters  of 
Washington,  written  during  this  winter.  Wash- 
ington Irving  borrowed  these  letters  when  he 
was  writing  the  life  of  his  namesake,  and  re- 
turned them  with  a  courteous  letter  of  thanks 


/;/  the  Ministry.  41 

to  the  venerable  owner,  which  she  treasured 
as  of  almost  equal  value  with  the  letters  of 
Washington  himself. 

Now  began  a  pastorate  each  year  of  which 
drew  pastor  and  people  together  with  a  closer 
and  tenderer  tie.  Mr.  Cochran  never  had  a  di- 
vided vote  in  his  session.  His  elders  were  men 
of  strong  character  and  intelligent  views,  who 
would  sometimes  come  together  with  different 
opinions  in  regard  to  some  course  of  action  to 
be  decided  upon,  but  they  always  talked  mat- 
ters over  in  a  kindly  and  Christian  spirit  until 
some  decision  was  reached  in  which  all  could 
unite.  Of  the  six  elders  who  composed  the  ses- 
sion when  Mr.  Cochran  came  to  it,  only  one  re- 
mained at  his  death.  The  youngest  in  1879  was 
the  oldest  in  1887.  On  two  different  occasions 
three  new  elders  were  ordained  to  take  the 
places  of  those  who  had  "gone  over  to  the 
majority."  They  were  all  men  of  like  spirit,  in 
whom  the  pastor's  heart  could  safely  trust. 
There  are  no  happier  homes  in  our  land  than 
in  country  parsonages,  no  happier  men  than 
country  pastors.  Often  as  Mr.  Cochran  drove 
over  the  beautiful  hills  of  Mendham  he  would 
say,  "What  a  terrible  wrench  it  would  be  to  be 
parted  from  this  dear  people!"  and  after  failing 
health  compelled  him  to  seek  another  climate 


42       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

in  the  West,  he  often  said:  "We  had  to  be 
pushed  out  of  the  nest.  I  never  could  have  left 
it  of  my  own  accord."  There  was  not  a  year  of 
his  ministerial  life  when  he  had  not  opportunity 
to  take  another  charge,  but  he  never  seriously 
considered  doing  so.  His  love  for  Mendham 
was  much  like  that  of  the  old  Jews  for  Jeru- 
salem. He  took  great  interest  in  his  lawn  and 
garden,  and  little  farm  of  seven  acres,  enjoying 
his  fruit  and  flowers,  laughingly  saying  that  if  he 
ever  broke  down  as  a  minister  he  would  go  at 
fruit  farming.  Often,  as  he  drove  in  at  the  par- 
sonage gate  and  looked  admiringly  at  the 
smooth-shaven  lawn  and  brilliant  flower-beds, 
he  would  exclaim,  "  What  a  beautiful  home  we 
have!"  He  loved  to  gather  his  friends  about 
him  in  his  home,  and  one  of  his  favorite  texts 
was,  "  Use  hospitality  without  grudging."  Many 
entertain  strangers  from  a  sense  of  duty,  feeling 
it  a  task,  but  to  him  it  was  a  genuine  pleasure, 
and  even  when  tiresome  and  disagreeable  people 
were  received,  he  never  would  accept  commis- 
eration. He  was  constantly  thinking  of  some 
one  who  needed  a  little  rest  and  change,  and  in- 
viting them  for  longer  or  shorter  visits,  and 
friends  would  laughingly  give  the  parsonage  the 
name  of  "  The  Sanitarium."  When  he  went  away 
for  a  vacation,  he  frequently  invited  some  over- 


In  the  Ministry.  43 

tired  worker,  a  broken-down  teacher,  or  invalid 
missionary  to  accompany  him  on  a  little  trip  to 
the  mountains  or  the  sea.  To  him  a  pleasure 
shared  was  more  than  doubled. 

During  his  first  year  in  Mendham  be  greatly 
enjoyed  the  neighborhood  of  his  dear  and  only 
sister,  Mary,  the  wife  of  Rev.  Thomas  Carter,  of 
Pluckamin,  twelve  miles  away.  The  brother 
and  sister  were  very  much  alike  in  many  char- 
acteristics, notably  in  their  unselfishness  and 
hospitality.  All  was  cheer  and  happiness  in  her 
home,  she  was  so  bright  and  energetic,  so  ready 
to  sacrifice  herself  for  others'  happiness.  She 
used  to  gather  a  large  circle  under  her  roof,  and 
endeavor  to  make  them  have  a  good  time,  and 
with  marked  success.  The  double  connection 
between  the  two  brothers-in-law,  the  entire  con- 
geniality of  tastes  between  them  and  their 
wives,  and  the  unity  of  all  their  interests,  made 
it  seem  more  like  a  union  of  four  than  a  union 
of  two  distinct  couples.  Frequent  visits  were 
interchanged  between  the  two  families,  and 
they  were  looking  forward  to  long  years  of  hap- 
piness together,  when  suddenly  one  evening  a 
message  came  to  the  Mendham  parsonage  that 
Mrs.  Carter  was  dying.  Mr.  Cochran  and  his 
wife  started  at  once  to  drive  through  the  pitchy 
darkness,  hoping  to  be  in  time  to  see  the  dear 


44       A   Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

one,  dreading  what  they  might  find  when  they 
reached  her  home.  Once  Mr.  Cochran  spoke, 
referring  to  the  subject  of  his  prayer-meeting 
address  the  night  before:  "  My  cry  came  before 
Him,  even  into  His  ears."  He  had  said  then  that 
God  could  interpret  even  our  inarticulate  cries 
when  our  hearts  were  too  full  for  utterance. 
Now  he  said,  "We  can  do  nothing  but  cry 
now."  As  they  crossed  the  bridge  by  the  mill, 
near  her  home,  he  said:  "  How  often  have  we 
walked  here  together!  How  full  everything 
seems  of  her  presence!"  When  they  reached 
the  house  a  neighbor  came  out  and  destroyed 
all  hope  by  the  announcement,  "She  is  dead!" 
Those  were  days  of  overwhelming  sorrow. 
To  the  husband  and  four  helpless  little  ones  the 
loss  was  unspeakable.  The  people  of  her  hus- 
band's charge  loved  her  dearly,  and  had  been 
accustomed  to  follow  her  cheerful,  energetic 
leadership  with  perfect  love  and  trust.  On  the 
day  after  her  death  her  brother  was  standing, 
with  a  friend,  by  his  side,  when  the  undertaker 
came  in  to  perform  some  duty,  and  they  step- 
ped aside.  Presently  Mr.  Cochran  whispered, 
"  That  is  a  sight  seldom  seen — an  undertaker 
turning  away  from  a  coffin  to  weep."  Her  work 
in  that  humble  little  village  will  not  soon  be 
forgotten. 


/;/  the  Ministry.  45 

The  brother  ministers  who  took  charge  of 
the  funeral  were  warm  and  loving  friends,  and 
spoke  from  the  heart  and  most  impressively  to 
the  crowded  and  weeping  assembly  in  the 
church.  One  of  them  alluded  to  her  graceful 
hospitality,and  said  that,  as  he  had  looked  upon 
her  as  she  lay  so  beautiful  in  death,  with  her 
lovely  smile  upon  her  lips,  he  had  thought  that 
she  had  welcomed  her  Saviour  with  the  same 
sweet  smile  with  which  she  had  always  wel- 
comed her  friends.  Another  quoted  the  words: 
"  Jesus  said  unto  her,  Mary!  She  turned  her- 
self and  said  unto  Him,  Rabboni;  which  is  to 
say,  Master." 

It  is  hard  even  to  begin  to  speak  of  Mr.  Coch- 
ran's labors  for  his  church,  they  were  so  varied 
and  incessant.  People  have  frequently  remark- 
ed that  they  did  not  believe  that  there  was  a 
man  or  woman  in  the  township  to  whom  he  had 
not  spoken  about  their  souls.  Even  Roman 
Catholics  felt  he  was  a  true  friend  to  them,  and 
many  of  them  have  shown  their  affection  for 
him.  A  year  after  his  death  the  priest  of  the 
village  sent  a  large  bunch  of  very  beautiful 
roses  to  Mrs.  Cochran,  who  was  stopping  in  the 
neighborhood,  with  the  message  that  he  had 
noticed  that  she  liked  to  lay  flowers  on  her  hus- 
band's grave,  and  he  would   like  to  have  these 


46       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

laid  there.  A  little  Catholic  girl  says  that  Mr. 
Cochran  took  her  into  his  buggy  one  day,  on 
her  way  home  from  school,  and  talked  to  her 
about  studying,  and  developing  into  a  noble, 
God-fearing  woman.  She  said,  "  Nobody  ever 
talked  to  me  so  before."  He  always  visited  the 
entire  congregation  every  year,  praying  in  every 
house,  and  when  there  was  sickness  or  sorrow, 
he  was  a  frequent  visitor.  He  was  most  tender 
and  sympathetic.  He  had  known  much  sorrow 
himself,  and  he  knew  how  to  comfort  those  in 
affliction,  always  seeming  to  know  just  what  to 
say  to  them.  An  old  lady  in  his  congregation 
relates  that  once,  when  she  was  in  sore  trouble, 
she  said  to  him:  "O  Mr.  Cochran,  I  wanted 
to  see  you  so  much,  and  thought  you  had  for- 
gotten me.  I  was  beginning  to  feel  hardly  tow- 
ard you."  "  Whenever  you  feel  hardly  toward 
me  just  get  down  on  your  knees  and  pray  for 
me."  She  said  it  was  just  what  she  needed,  and 
she  often  had  thought  of  it  since  when  tempted 
to  judge  others  harshly.  A  ministerial  brother 
says  that  there  was  nothing  he  envied  Mr. 
Cochran  so  much  as  the  power  of  giving  rebuke. 
He  never  shrank  from  duty  in  this  respect,  his 
wounds  were  faithful,  but  he  rarely  gave  offense 
by  the  plainest  speech.  It  was  so  evident  that 
he  spoke  from  love  and  for  the  good  of  the  cul- 


///  the  Ministry.  47 

prits  that  they  were  ready  to  feel,  "  Let  the 
righteous  smite  me;  it  shall  be  a  kindness." 
He  did  not  hesitate  to  reach  down  to  the  most 
depraved  and  vicious,  and  his  native  dignity 
always  protected  him  from  insult. 

He  had  a  remarkable  gift  in  prayer,  often  ex- 
pressing people's  needs  better  than  they  could 
themselves.  At  family  prayers  he  seemed 
never  to  forget  anyone — even  the  servants,  who 
could  not  be  present  on  account  of  their  creed. 
His  constant  prayer  for  them  was  probably  one 
reason  that  he  was  blessed  with  such  faithful 
and  affectionate  service. 

He  always  remembered  tenderly  "  the  mother 
with  her  burdens  and  cares,"  and  after  the  birth 
of  each  child,  gave  thanks  in  the  church  "  for  a 
valuable  life  that  had  been  spared."  Many  of 
the  congregation  felt  that  they  owed  the  lives 
of  friends  to  his  fervent  prayers  for  them  in 
church.  He  often  spoke  of  one  night  when  his 
wife  was  at  the  very  gates  of  death,  and  he 
went  down  to  the  study  after  the  most  imme- 
diate danger  was  passed,  and  prayed  with  an 
earnestness  for  her  life  which  he  had  never  felt 
in  any  petition  before  or  afterward.  He  thought 
her  life  was  given  to  him  in  answer  to  that 
prayer.  Surely  no  life  was  ever  prayed  for  more 
fervently  and  continually  than  his  was,  and  yet 


48       A  Memoi'ial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

it  was  taken.    Truly,  God's  ways  are  not  as  our 
ways. 

He  took  a  great  interest  in  the  Sunday 
school,  always  visiting  it  for  the  opening  exer- 
cises, making  great  use  of  the  blackboard,  and 
encouraging  the  children  to  learn  verses  by 
the  offer  of  reward  books.  At  Christmas  fes- 
tivals he  always  got  up  the  programmes  him- 
self, and  made  them  novel  and  interesting, 
while  at  the  same  time  some  useful  and  spirit- 
ual lesson  was  taught.  The  very  last  Christ- 
mas festival  of  his  pastorate  gathered  in  a 
social  way  in  the  parsonage  parlors.  It  was  in 
the  interest  of  the  Indian  school  at  Albuquer- 
que, New  Mexico,  and  the  children  brought 
offerings  for  that  object.  Four  young  men 
were  dressed  as  Indians,  and  made  speeches 
which  had  been  originally  spoken  by  some  In- 
dian chiefs  who  had  visited  the  Albuquerque 
school.  The  offerings  were  taken  up  by  two 
young  ladies  prettily  dressed  as  Indian  maidens. 
Somebody  said  that  they  ought  to  be  named, 
and  Mr.  Cochran  quickly  said,  "Call  them  Wild 
Rose  and  Bright  Eyes."  He  took  a  warm  in- 
terest in  the  young,  and  his  winning  ways  drew 
them  to  him.  One  of  the  first  in  Mendham 
whom  he  was  privileged  to  welcome  into  full 
communion  with  the  church  was  a  boy  nine 


/;/  the  Ministry.  49 

years  old.  On  the  day  that  Presbytery  dis- 
solved the  pastoral  relations  between  the 
Mendham  church  and  Mr.  Cochran,  it  ordained 
that  boy  as  a  missionary. 

From  his  Cresarea  home  that  same  boy  sent 
these  words  of  sympathy  to  Mr.  Cochran's  wife 
after  his  death  :  "  I  can  only  try  to  tell  you 
how  I  love  Mr.  Cochran,  and  what  hard  work 
it  was  for  May  and  me  to  get  through  yester- 
day's letters  that  told  us  all  about  it,  how  you 
did  reach  the  New  York  home,  and  how  he 
went  quietly  from  there  to  the  better  home, 
the  home  that  is  never  broken  up.  I  wrote 
home  that  I  felt  as  if  I  had  lost  another  father, 
and  one,  indeed,  whom  I  knew  better  than  my 
own  father,  and  of  whom  I  shall  have  more 
memories.  How  much  he  has  done  for  me, 
from  the  time  when  I  joined  the  church  in 
Mendham,  a  month  after  he  came  there,  through 
all  these  years,  I  can  never  tell.  I  remember 
the  very  spot  in  the  study  where  we  sat  when 
he  talked  with  me  about  uniting  with  the 
church,  and  where  he  kneeled  down  to  pray 
with  me.  May  all  the  blessings  that  I  have 
received  through  him  come  back  on  you  and 
on  his  children  for  his  dear  sake!" 

Those  about  him  learned  to  lean  upon  his 
judgment,  which  seldom  erred.     Though  very 


50       A   Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

prudent  in  avoiding  offense,  he  never  shirked 
responsibility  when  he  felt  it  to  be  a  duty.  He 
would  laughingly  say,  "  My  shoulders  are 
broad,"  and  go  on  to  do  what  he  thought 
right,  let  who  would  blame.  He  frequently  felt 
it  a  duty  to  preach  on  topics  of  the  day,  as  he 
thought  that  the  pulpit  should  instruct  in  mat- 
ters of  public  morality,  but  he  always  did  it  in 
a  non-partisan  spirit.  A  hearer  who  did  not 
know  to  which  political  party  he  belonged 
would  never  have  found  out  from  his  preaching, 
for  he  preached  on  these  questions  from  a 
higher  standpoint  than  that  of  politics,  and  did 
not  hesitate  to  expose  the  false  positions  of 
either  party.  As  an  illustration  of  his  ready 
judgment  we  relate  the  following  incident  : 
When  Garfield  was  elected  to  the  Presidency, 
a  committee  waited  upon  him  to  ask  if  he 
would  not  illuminate  his  house  on  a  certain 
evening.  He  at  once  replied,  "  No,  this  house 
belongs  to  the  congregation,  Democrats  and 
Republicans  alike.  I  cannot  use  it  for  any 
party  purpose."  But  when  Garfield  died  the 
parsonage  was  the  first  house  in  the  village  to 
be  draped  in  mourning.  There  was  then  no 
question  of  party;  it  was  a  tribute  due  to  the 
honored  President  of  the  United  States. 

His  tender  sympathy  and  wise  counsel,  and 


In  the  Ministry.  51 

his  gentle  voice  and  manner,  made  him  a  very 
acceptable  visitant  at  the  bedside  of  the  sick. 
He  was  a  born  nurse,  and  would  smooth  and 
arrange  pillows,  and  make  suggestions  as  to 
ventilation  and  rearrangement  of  the  sick- 
room which  were  often  of  great  advantage  to 
the  sufferers.  He  gave  much  thought  to  his 
funeral  services,  for  he  considered  that  there 
were  often  people  who  went  to  funerals  who 
rarely  attended  church,  and  he  tried  to  drop  a 
word  that  would  reach  their  hearts.  He  re- 
membered, too,  that  the  mourning  friends  were 
in  a  condition  to  be  easily  reached  by  the 
blessed  truths  of  religion.  When  the  weather 
was  favorable  he  often  had  brief,  varied,  and 
beautiful  exercises  about  the  open  grave,  quot- 
ing a  short,  appropriate  text,  and  frequently 
ending  with  the  benediction,  "  Now  the  God  of 
peace  that  brought  again  from  the  dead  the 
Lord  Jesus,  that  great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep, 
through  the  blood  of  the  everlasting  covenant, 
make  you  perfect  in  every  good  work  to  do  his 
will,  working  in  you  that  which  is  well  pleas- 
ing in  his  sight,  through  Jesus  Christ,  to  whom 
be  glory  forever.    Amen." 

He  attended  the  funeral  of  two  of  his  elders 
in  one  week.  They  had  been  born  the  same 
year,  had  lived  on  adjoining  farms,  had  gone  to 


52       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

school  together,  had  united  with  the  church 
the  same  Sabbath,  and  were  ordained  to  the 
eldership  the  same  day.  Each  had  lived  sev- 
enty-six years  on  the  spot  where  he  was  born, 
and  died  in  the  same  week.  The  funeral  of 
one  was  upon  a  perfect  spring  day,  and  after 
laying  the  venerable  form  in  the  dust  Mr. 
Cochran  repeated  the  lines  : 

"  E'en  down  to  old  age  all  my  people  shall  prove 
My  sovereign,  eternal,  unchangeable  love; 
And  when  hoary  hairs  shall  their  temples  adorn, 
Like  lambs  they  shall  still  in  my  bosom  be  borne. 

"The  soul  that  to  Jesus  has  fled  for  repose, 
I  will  not,  I  will  not  desert  to  his  foes; 
That  soul,  though  all  hell  should  endeavor  to  shake, 
I'll  never,  no,  never,  no,  never  forsake." 

Mr.  Cochran  believed  in  paying  every  respect 
to  the  dead.  He  thought  it  was  one  way  in 
which  "  the  living  shall  lay  it  to  heart."  At 
the  same  time  he  disapproved  any  extravagant 
display  of  the  trappings  of  mourning. 

His  tenderness  to  those  in  trouble  was  very 
marked.  Having  known  sorrow  himself,  he 
knew  how  to  sympathize  with  others;  but  not 
all  those  who  have  had  trials  have — 

' '  a  heart  at  leisure  from  itself, 
To  soothe  and  sympathize." 


///  the  Ministry.  53 

After  his  death  several  people  to  whom  he 
had  written  letters  in  times  of  sorrow  sent  them 
to  his  wife,  saying  that  they  could  find  no 
words  more  comforting  than  his  own,  and  add- 
ing the  request  that  they  be  returned.  The  fol- 
lowing is  one  which  might  well  have  been  writ- 
ten of  himself : 

Mendham,  Ap.  2,  1878. 

My  Dear  Mrs. : 

I  cannot  forbear  expressing  my  sympathy 
with  you  in  the  sad  affliction  which  has  recently 
fallen  upon  you. 

It  seems  impossible  to  realize  that  we  shall 
not  meet  your  husband  if  we  are  permitted  to 
be  with  you  again  this  summer.  He  was  so 
young,  so  bright,  so  active,  so  cheerful,  so  full 
of  life,  so  earnest,  that  it  seems  contradictory 
to  think  of  him  as  still  in  death. 

But  we  need  not,  and  we  must  not,  think  of 
him  thus.  God  had  better  work  for  him — a 
higher  life,  better  enjoyments,  and  fuller  oppor- 
tunities; as  the  "  place  "  was  prepared,  and  he 
was  prepared  for  it,  so  Jesus  came  to  receive 
him  unto  Himself. 

But  we  feel  that  the  place  which  he  filled  here 
is  empty  —  the  place  of  son,  brother,  friend, 
Christian  worker,  Sunday-school  superintend- 
ent, father,  husband.  There  is  only  one  that 
can  fill  the  void  in  the  heart  and  in  the  world. 
"  Thy  Maker  is  thy  husband,"  more  loving, 
strong,  and  full  of  tender  sympathy  than  any 
human  friend  can  be.     "We  have  not  an  High 


54      <A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

Priest  who  cannot  be  touched  with  a  feeling  of 
our  infirmities."  Then  your  husband  is  yours 
still.  Have  you  seen  those  touching  lines  of 
Mrs.  Browning's  on  a  child's  death,  called  "  Only 
a  Curl  "?  Part  of  them  are  just  as  appropriate 
of  your  loss: 

"  God  lent  him,  and  takes  him,  you  sigh; 
Nay,  there  let  me  break  with  your  pain; 
God's  generous  in  giving,  say  I, 
And  the  gift  that  He  gives  I  deny 
That  He  ever  can  take  back  again. 

"  God  lends  not,  but  gives  to  the  end, 
As  He  loves  to  the  end.     If  it  seem 

That  He  draws  back  a  gift,  comprehend 

'Tis  to  add  to  it  rather — amend, 
And  finish  it  up  to  your  dream." 

These  are  comforting  thoughts,  and  there  are 
many  others,  but  the  pain  is  there  at  the  heart, 
and  the  eye  must  weep,  and  Jesus  weeps  with 
you.  I  appreciate  your  loss,  for  I  felt  very  much 
drawn  out  to  your  husband. 

Please  express  deep  sympathy  to  his  parents 
and  brother,  and  receive  it  for  yourself  from 
both  Mrs.  Cochran  and 

Yours  sincerely, 

I.  W.  Cochran. 

A  week  after  his  death  there  was  found 
among  his  papers  a  letter  to  his  family,  giving 
them  wisest  and  most  tender  comfort  and  coun- 
sel. 

But  it  was  in  his  own  household  that  his  no- 


In  the  Ministry.  55 

ble  and  winning  qualities  were  most  plainly 
shown  forth.  It  has  been  said  that  "  no  man 
is  a  hero  to  his  valet  de  chambre,"  but  those 
who  knew  him  best  loved  him  most.  Of  a  faith- 
ful man  who  lived  with  him  thirteen  years,  and 
soon  followed  his  beloved  master  to  the  grave, 
it  was  remarked,  "  John  worships  Mr.  Cochran 
just  as  he  worships  the  Virgin  Mary."  Another 
domestic  said  of  him,  "  He  would  take  the  very 
coat  from  his  back  to  give  it  to  a  poor  man." 
Another,  who  lived  with  him  for  seventeen 
years,  and  still  continues  with  his  family,  showed 
an  attachment  and  devotion  seldom  equaled. 

As  a  husband  he  was  ever  tender  and  true, 
never  failing  to  his  wife  in  all  the  consideration 
and  courtesy  of  a  lover.  His  words  of  congrat- 
ulation to  a  newly  married  pair  were,  almost  in- 
variably, "  May  your  wedded  life  be  as  happy 
as  mine  has  been — I  can  ask  no  more."  To  his 
children  he  was  a  most  loving  father,  entering 
heartily  into  their  studies  and  their  sports,  mak- 
ing them,  as  far  as  possible,  his  companions. 
They  owed  much  to  him  for  his  instructions, 
both  in  their  secular  lessons  and  in  connection 
with  their  Sunday-school  work.  He  used  to  go 
over  the  Sunday-school  lesson  with  them  on 
Saturday  morning,  giving  them  the  benefit  of 
his  thorough  preparation  of  it  for  the  Thursday 


56       A   Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

evening  meeting.  Then  at  family  prayers  he 
always  had  some  interesting  and  pleasant  in- 
structions. Before  morning  prayers  he  would 
say,  in  his  cheery  way,  ' 'Class,  take  your  places," 
and  then  the  children  would  stand  in  a  row  and 
recite  whatever  he  happened  to  be  drilling  them 
on.  At  one  time  it  would  be  the  CJiild's  Script- 
ure Catechism;  at  another,  the  Golden  Texts 
of  the  quarter.  Even  the  babies,  too  little  to 
speak,  thought  it  great  fun  to  toddle  into  the 
line  and  stand  with  their  toes  on  a  particular 
seam  of  the  carpet.  A  great  many  Bible  verses 
were  committed  in  this  way.  At  prayers  he 
always  held  one  and  the  mother  another  of  the 
younger  ones  on  the  knee.  The  children  were 
encouraged  to  ask  questions,  and  the  exercises 
were  made  as  informal  as  possible.  Evening 
prayers  especially  were  constantly  varied.  They 
seldom  read  the  Bible,  but  would  repeat  some 
passage  of  Scripture  in  concert,  or  a  subject 
would  be  chosen,  and  each  one  would  recite  a 
verse  upon  it,  or  the  Golden  Texts  for  Sunday- 
school  would  be  gone  over.  Even  the  little  six- 
year-olds  could  recite  the  Golden  Texts  for  a 
year.  He  had  a  regular  little  liturgy  for  Sun- 
day mornings,  with  a  change  on  Communion 
Sundays  from  the  Ten  Commandments  to  the 
Fifty-third  of  Isaiah.  On  Sunday  evenings  a  part 


///  the  Ministry.  57 

of  the  Fourteenth  of  John  was  recited  in  con- 
cert, and  then  each  member  of  the  family  in 
turn  offered  a  prayer.  There  was  always  sing- 
ing— papa  leading,  and  one  of  the  older  children 
playing  the  accompaniment  on  the  piano.  A 
thoroughly  trained  musician,  who  visited  him  in 
the  last  months  of  the  dear  home,  said  to  Mr. 
Cochran,  "  I  don't  believe  that  you  know  that 
you  have  a  real  talent  for  leading  the  children's 
music."  He  laughingly  disclaimed  the  praise, 
and  said  that  he  was  not  aware  of  any  particu- 
lar gift  in  that  direction.  He  certainly  had  a 
great  gift  for  making  such  things  enjoyable. 
The  same  friend  wrote  Mr.  Cochran  after  he 
went  to  Minnesota,  that  he  had  never  known 
anything  so  mysterious  as  the  breaking  up  of 
that  happy  home." 

Mr.  Cochran  was  always  very  merry  and 
playful  with  his  children.  On  rainy  days  he 
would  exercise  himself  and  them  with  games, 
sometimes  the  old-fashioned  ones  of  "  hide  and 
seek  "  or  "  I  spy,"  or,  again,  with  some  game  of 
his  own  invention,  or  he  would  lead  them  in 
calisthenics,  at  which  he  was  an  adept,  or  they 
would  have  a  menagerie,  each  member  of  the 

*  After  his  death  a  friend  wrote:  "  He  made  home  heaven- 
like  by  his  presence  in  it,  and  now  heaven  seems  homelike  be- 
cause he  is  there." 


58       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  IV.  Cochran, 

family  being  disguised  as  a  different  animal. 
The  children  always  pleaded  for  birthday  par- 
ties, of  which  he  was  the  life.  On  Christmas 
he  insisted  on  a  tree,  and  had  parsonage  and 
Sunday-school  trimmed  with  greens.  When 
the  parents  went  away  from  home,  just  before 
their  return  the  children  would  dress  the  house 
with  flowers  and  foliage,  and  put  "  Welcome 
Home  "  in  floral  letters  over  the  door. 

The  birthdays  of  each  member  of  the  family, 
and  all  his  wedding  anniversaries,  were  always 
remembered  with  some  well-chosen  gift,  and 
very  often  by  commemorative  verses,  which 
were  more  valued  than  the  gifts.  His  letters 
to  the  children  were  always  greatly  treasured. 
They  were  often  written  in  verse  or  illustrated 
by  drawings.  For  very  little  ones  they  were 
often  carefully  printed,  that  they  might  read 
them  themselves. 

The  spiritual  training  of  his  children  was 
very  near  his  heart.  It  was  with  great  joy 
that  he  admitted  his  oldest  son  to  church  mem- 
bership when  he  was  not  quite  nine  years  old. 
In  December,  1884,  on  the  same  day  with  the 
ordination  of  three  elders,  his  oldest  daughter, 
eleven  years  old,  united  with  the  Church.  The 
ordination  had  been  very  solemn,  and  when  he 
addressed  his  little  daughter,  who  was  the  only 


/;/  the  Ministry.  59 

candidate  for  church  membership,  he  came 
down  from  the  pulpit  and  stood  just  before  her. 
In  administering  the  vows,  he  said,  "  Do  you, 
my  dear  daughter,"  etc.,  making  it  very  tender 
and  personal.  The  child  remarked  afterward, 
"  Wasn't  it  good  in  papa  to  say  '  My  dear 
daughter'  ?"  His  third  child  desired  admission 
to  the  communion  the  first  winter  in  St.  Paul, 
but  his  father  said,  "  If  you  wait  till  spring 
perhaps  I  may  be  able  to  admit  you  myself, 
and  I  should  like  to  do  it."  The  little  fellow 
did  not,  therefore,  become  a  member  of  the 
church  till  after  his  father's  death,  when  his 
pastor  very  touchingly  alluded  to  the  witnesses, 
seen  and  unseen,  of  his  act  of  consecration. 

Living  a  life  of  close  communion  with  God, 
he  was  peculiarly  happy  in  his  remarks  at  sac- 
ramental feasts.  A  letter  written  after  he  had 
entered  into  rest,  by  one  who  frequently  heard 
him,  says  :  "  I  regret  most  deeply  that  I  did 
not  write,  as  I  intended,  and  thank  Mr.  Coch- 
ran for  the  spiritual  help  he  had  given  me.  To 
know  him  and  to  understand  him,  in  a  measure, 
was  to  gain  in  spiritual  life.  I  never  met  him 
without  a  new  impulse  upward,  but  I  gained 
definite  spiritual  progress  from  the  influence  of 
some  of  his  sermons.  One  at  a  communion 
service  in  Mendham  was  the  beginning  of  a 


6o       A   Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

new  period  in  my  spiritual  life.  Some  day  I 
may  be  permitted  to  thank  him,  but  perhaps 
the  acknowledgment  would  have  cheered  some 
hour  of  languor  or  suffering  had  I  sent  it  as  I 
intended." 

His  private  religious  character  was  chiefly 
marked  by  his  study  of  the  Bible  and  prayer. 
He  spent  much  time  daily  over  his  devotions, 
reading  the  Hebrew  as  well  as  the  English  in 
the  morning,  and  the  Greek  as  well  as  the 
English  at  night.  During  the  time  he  was  in 
St.  Paul  he  read  the  Bible  more  than  all  other 
books  put  together.  It  was  the  feeling  of  those 
who  knew  him  best  that  he  was  a  man  who 
was  very  intimate  with  God. 

Mr.  Cochran's  labors  were  far  from  being  lim- 
ited by  the  bounds  of  his  own  congregation. 
He  bore  an  active  part  in  Presbytery,  Synod, 
and  General  Assembly,  as  well  as  in  Bible 
Society,  temperance,  and  Sunday-school  work. 
He  was  in  labors  most  abundant.  For  many 
years  he  was  chairman  of  the  Presbyterial 
Committee  on  Systematic  Benevolence,  and 
later  of  the  Synodical  Committee.  In  1879 
Dr.  Jessup,  Moderator  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly, appointed  him  chairman  of  the  Assembly's 
committee  on  that  subject,  so  that  he  was  at 
one  time  chairman  of  the   Systematic  Benefi- 


In  the  Ministry.  6 1 

ccncc  Committee  of  Presbytery  and  Synod 
and  General  Assembly.  He  did  an  enormous 
amount  of  work  on  these  committees,  prepar- 
ing- reports  and  statistical  tables,  and  conduct- 
ing- a  large  correspondence  on  the  subject. 
People  interested  in  these  matters  wrote  to 
him  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  He  was  often 
greatly  hampered  in  his  work  because  the 
brethren  did  not  send  in  their  reports  to  him 
in  time,  so  that  he  would  often  have  to  sit  up 
almost  all  night  at  meetings  of  the  Presbytery, 
Synod,  or  Assembly,  to  do  work  that  could  not 
be  done  before  because  he  had  not  the  neces- 
sary data.  His  reports  have  won  great  praise 
from  leading  men  in  the  Church,  but  he  never 
worked  for  praise.  He  was  willing  that  others 
should  bear  the  credit  if  only  the  work  was 
done.  He  wrote  a  great  deal  for  the  religious 
press  on  this  topic.  His  communications  were 
generally  published  as  editorials,  so  that  they 
cannot  now  be  traced.  He  preferred  this  ar- 
rangement, because  he  thought  their  position 
as  editorials  brought  them  more  authoritatively 
before  the  public,  and  what  he  wanted  was  ac- 
complished work  and  not  credit.  Certainly  he 
never  sought  his  own.  God  knows  how  ear- 
nestly and  with  what  a  single  heart  he  labored 
in  this  cause.  "  The  Master  praises — what  are 
men  ?" 


62       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

After  remaining  chairman  of  the  Assembly's 
committee  for  two  years  he  declined  reappoint- 
ment to  the  chairmanship,  feeling  that  the 
work  was  too  much  for  his  strength,  but  he 
continued  a  member  of  the  committee  until  his 
death.  For  years  he  went  to  every  Assembly, 
never  failing  until  the  last  May,  when  his  hem- 
orrhages came  just  before  the  meeting. 

The  duty  of  systematic  giving  was  constantly 
brought  before  the  congregation.  He  instructed 
them  in  the  needs  of  the  Church  and  the  world, 
and  the  duties  of  individuals  in  view  of  them. 
He  always  had  a  prayer  of  consecration  before 
the  taking  of  a  collection,  and  prayed  earnestly 
for  the  cause  for  which  contributions  were  asked. 
He  felt  that  few  Christians  knew  how  little 
they  gave,  and  urged  the  keeping  of  a  regular 
account  as  the  only  way  in  which  they  could 
be  sure  that  they  were  giving  systematically 
and  proportionally. 

Many  members  of  his  congregation  adopted 
his  views,  and  felt  that  they  were  helped  in 
their  Christian  development  by  it.  One  lady 
writes  :  "  Tell  Mr.  Cochran  he  taught  me  to 
have  faith  enough  to  tithe  all  the  money  I  re- 
ceive, so  that  I  almost  always  have  something 
to  give.  My  cause  of  stumbling  was  debt.  I 
said,  'What  right  have  I  to  give  when  I  am  in 


In  the  Ministry.  63 

debt  ? '  So  I  prayed  that  I  might  be  able  to 
get  out  of  debt  and  keep  out;  then,  I  thought, 
I  will  be  free  to  give.  That  state  of  things 
lasted  for  years.  Finally  I  said,  I  will  give 
one-tenth  to  the  Lord,  any  way,  and  continue 
to  pray  and  work  to  pay  my  debts.  The  result 
is  that  I  can  give  a  great  deal  more,  and  am 
freer  from  harassing  debts  than  ever  before.  I 
learned  this  lesson  of  faith  from  Mr.  Cochran." 

From  the  experience  of  another  member  of 
his  congregation  Mr.  Cochran  wrote  a  tract 
entitled,  TitJiing  a  Peach  Orchard,  which  was 
reprinted  many  times  in  various  forms. 

His  own  practice  was  to  devote  one-fifth  of 
his  income  to  benevolence.  One  of  his  con- 
gregation writes:  "  His  liberality  was  not  the 
result  of  large  means,  as  many  supposed.  It 
grew  out  of  a  heart  thoroughly  consecrated 
to  the  Master  and  His  work,  and  carried  into 
practical  operation  by  thorough  and  systematic 
business  habits.  Mr.  Cochran  practiced  the 
strictest  economy  in  little  things,  not  that  he 
might  add  to  his  wealth,  but,  as  he  expressed 
it,  that  he  might  save  money  for  the  Lord.  It 
was  a  common  saying  of  his,  '  We  must  give 
till  we  feel  it.'  On  one  occasion  the  writer  re- 
members congratulating  him,  on  his  return  from 
New  York,  on  having  a  new  hat.    Mr.  Cochran 


64       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

said,  'No,  you  are  mistaken;  this  is  the  old 
one  with  a  new  band  and  binding,  which  cost 
sixty  cents.  I  have  saved  four  dollars  and  fifty 
cents  for  the  Lord,  which  I  have  already  paid 
into  the  treasury.'  A  trifling  incident  in  itself, 
but  it  shows  how  this  self-sacrificing  man  of 
God  took  thought  in  order  that  he  might  give." 

His  private  benevolence  account-book  was 
very  carefully  kept.  One  page  was  headed, 
"Laid  by  in  Store."  On  this  he  noted  down 
one-fifth  of  his  income  as  it  came  in.  The  oppo- 
site was  headed,  "Paid  into  the  Treasury."  On 
this  an  account  was  kept  of  all  his  contributions 
to  benevolence. 

He  carefully  trained  the  young  people  under 
his  charge  in  regard  to  benevolence.  The  fol- 
lowing verses  were  written  by  him  for  a  Christ- 
mas entertainment  of  the  Sunday-school,  at 
which  each  child  brought  an  offering  for  a  home 
for  poor  children. 

FIRST  FRUITS  FOR  GOD. 

First  fruits  for  God—  of  corn  and  vine, 
Of  tree  or  bush,  of  sheep  or  kine, 
Of  all  that  men  call  mine  and  thine, 
The  first  and  best  for  God. 

First  fruits  for  God— of  daily  toil, 
That  hands  have  gathered  from  the  soil, 


///  the  Ministry.  65 

Or  brains  have  wrought  by  midnight  oil, 
The  first  and  best  for  God. 

First  fruits  for  God— from  stores  and  trade, 
From  ships  and  railroads  lending  aid, 
From  all  that  factories  have  made, 
The  first  and  best  for  God. 

First  fruits  for  God — from  all  our  ways, 
The  first  day,  Sabbath,  for  his  praise, 
The  morn  of  life  and  morn  of  days, 
The  first  and  best  for  God. 

First  fruits  for  God — for  this  New  Year 
We'll  give  Him  all  we  hold  most  dear, 
We'll  try  to  spend  it  in  His  fear — 
The  first  and  best  for  God. 

First  fruits  for  God — He  gives  us  all 
The  sun  to  shine,  the  rain  to  fall; 
He  safely  guides  this  rolling  ball  — 
The  first  and  best  for  God. 

First  fruits  for  God — He  loved  us  first, 
He  gave  the  best  unto  the  worst, 
His  only  Son  for  man  accurst, 
The  first  and  best  for  God. 

First  fruits  for  God— He  is  the  first 
To  Father,  Son,  and  Spirit  burst 
Praise  from  the  whole  great  universe  — 
The  first  and  best  for  God. 


TRIAL  AND  TRIUMPH. 

The  great  mistake  of  Mr.  Cochran's  life  was 
in  living  at  constant  high  pressure  in  regard  to 
work,  burning  his  candle  of  life  at  both  ends. 
Early  in  December  of  1884  he  took  a  heavy  cold, 
which  led  to  his  final  breaking  down  in  health. 
He  did  not  give  up  to  this  cold,  but  went 
through  even  a  larger  amount  of  work  that 
winter  than  usual.  There  were  revival  services 
in  a  part  of  his  parish  called  Brookside,  and 
he  went  there  night  after  night  in  the  bitterest 
weather.  Many  feel  that  they  owe  their  salva- 
tion to  his  labors  that  winter.  It  was  at  the 
price  of  his  life,  and  assuredly  he  would  gladly 
have  laid  it  down  for  the  sake  of  one  soul.  In 
the  midst  of  all  this  work  he  was  invited  to  go 
to  Princeton  Seminary  to  preach  to  the  students 
on  "  Systematic  Benevolence."  The  members  of 
the  Philadelphian  Society  of  Princeton  College 
heard  he  was  coming,  and  sent  him  a  letter, 
signed  with  all  their  names,  asking  him  to  ad- 
dress them  on  Saturday  evening,  which  he  did. 
He  urged  the  young  men  to  open  an  account- 
book  with  the  Lord,  and  to  give  him  his  por- 
66 


Trial  and  Triumph.  67 

tion.  Some  of  them  came  up  afterward,  and 
promised  to  do  so. 

He  preached  in  the  Seminary  chapel  on  Sun- 
day morning,  January  II,  1885,  on  I  Corinthians 
xvi.  2,  a  sermon  in  which  he  endeavored  to 
put  the  thought  of  years  upon  the  subject  of 
giving.  The  professors  expressed  themselves 
gratified  at  his  presentation  of  the  truth,  and 
Dr.  Paxton  asked  him  to  come  again  and  speak 
to  his  class  on  systematic  giving  and  the  benev- 
olent work  of  the  Presbyterian  Church;  and  he 
accordingly  went  there  in  February  for  that 
purpose.  In  March  he  delivered  the  same  ad- 
dress at  Union  Seminary  before  the  Students' 
Missionary  Society. 

While  at  a  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  in  April 
he  had  a  slight  hemorrhage.  On  Sunday,  May 
3,  he  had  another  in  church  at  evening  service, 
but  went  to  New  York  the  next  morning,  as  he 
had  already  planned.  The  children,  as  usual, 
crowded  to  the  window  to  see  him  off,  and  on 
looking  at  their  bright  and  loving  faces  he 
thought,  "  I  wonder  if  I  shall  ever  see  them  all 
again!"  On  going  to  the  city  he  made  an  ap- 
pointment to  see  a  specialist  the  next  day  about 
his  lungs,  but  that  very  night  was  taken  with  a 
severe  hemorrhage,  and  on  the  following  Wed- 
nesday he   had  another.     This  sudden  illness 


68       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

was  a  terrible  shock  to  his  large  circle  of  loving 
friends.  He  had  seemed  so  full  of  life  and  ac- 
tivity that  it  came  upon  them  like  a  thun- 
derbolt. To  his  family  it  is  very  strange  to 
remember  how  everything  went  on  as  bright  as 
ever  until  the  sudden  blow  came  which  shat- 
tered hope  and  joy.  How  their  lives  were 
bound  up  in  that  one  precious  life ! 

His  friends  rallied  round  him  with  every 
kindness,  doing  everything  they  could  to  help 
him  bear  the  heavy  burden,  showing  their  love 
and  sorrow  with  the  utmost  tenderness.  He 
writes :  "  When  the  hemorrhages  came,  it  seem- 
ed to  me  as  if  I  were  very  near  the  dark  valley. 
I  did  not  fear  the  result  for  myself,  but  I  was 
troubled  at  the  thought  of  leaving  my  wife  and 
children.  But  the  Lord,  during  all  my  sickness, 
has  shown  Himself  to  me,  and  enabled  me  to 
maintain  a  cheerful  spirit,  and  leave  all  things 
in  His  hands.  How  can  I  praise  Him  enough 
for  all  His  wonderful  kindness,  for  the  manner 
in  which  He  has  moved  others  to  show  their 
love  towards  me !  For  all  the  way  He  has  led 
me." 

The  best  medical  skill  was  at  once  called  in. 
Entire  rest  for  a  year  was  prescribed,  and  the 
physicians  ordered  him  to  go  to  St.  Paul,  Minn., 
where  his  brother  had  gone  years  before,  and 


Trial  and  TriumpJi.  69 

where  he  still  lived.  Mr.  Cochran  at  once  of- 
fered his  resignation  to  his  congregation,  but 
they  refused  to  accept  it,  hoping  that  in  another 
year  he  would  be  able  to  return  to  them.  It 
was  decided  to  engage  the  Rev.  James  Carter 
as  a  supply  for  the  present,  and  he  very  accept- 
ably filled  the  position.  His  people  then,  and 
always,  showed  the  utmost  love  and  considera- 
tion for  their  pastor. 

An  incident  of  his  stay  in  New  York,  on 
which  Mr.  Cochran  loved  to  dwell,  was  a  call 
from  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  Hall.  He  characterized 
it  as  a  model  pastoral  visit.  The  Doctor's 
bearing  was  most  kindly  and  sympathetic.  He 
addressed  the  sick  man  rather  as  a  fellow- 
Christian  than  as  a  minister.  Among  other 
things,  he  said  that  he  had  often  told  the  sick 
that  we  were  apt  to  fancy  that  the  Christian 
graces  could  best  be  shown  forth  in  active  life. 
"But,"  said  he,  "the  fruits  of  the  Spirit — love, 
joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  gentleness,  goodness, 
faith,  meekness,  temperance — may  be  shown  on 
a  sick-bed  just  as  well  as  anywhere  else."  This 
thought  often  comforted  the  dear  invalid,  and 
certainly  no  one  could  show  forth  these  graces 
more  plainly  than  he  did. 

The  same  kind  friend  admirably  described 
Mr.  Cochran's  character,  after  his  death,  when 


Jo       A   Memorial  of  Rev.  L  W.  Cochran. 

he  said:  "I  have  never  known  such  universal 
expressions  of  love  and  respect  of  any  man  as 
of  him.  It  was  not  because  he  sought  popular- 
ity; he  never  thought  of  it.  It  was  because  he 
forgot  himself,  and  thought  only  of  others,  and 
everyone  felt  that  he  was  a  friend." 

At  this  time  Mr.  Cochran  wrote  the  follow- 
ing verses,  suggested  by  the  Queen's  offer  of  a 
peerage  to  Mr.  Gladstone. 

PREFERRING  SERVICE  TO  HONOR. 

I  thank  thee,  gracious  sovereign, 

For  the  offer  thou  dost  make, 
To  set  me  among  nobles, 

And  the  burden  from  me  take: 
But  let  me  serve! 

I  am  often  very  weary, 

And  both  flesh  and  spirit  fail ; 
The  way  seems  sometimes  dreary, 

And  with  joy  the  end  I'll  hail: 
But  let  me  serve! 

There's  so  much  work  remaining, 

So  many  souls  are  lost, 
And  sin  needs  such  restraining, 

And  triumphs  at  such  cost: 
O  let  me  serve! 

The  idlers  are  so  many ; 

The  workers  are  so  few — 
In  some  fields  are  not  any 

Who  yet  can  dare  or  do: 
O  let  me  serve! 


Trial  a?id  Triumph.  71 

The  prospect  is  so  pleasant, 

The  harvest  is  so  white, 
Success  e'en  now  is  present, 

And  work  is  such  delight: 
O  let  me  serve! 

The  work  is  not  yet  finished 

Which  I  had  hoped  to  do; 
My  zeal  is  not  diminished, 

My  heart  is  firm  and  true: 
O  let  me  serve! 

1  want  to  lift  the  lowly ; 

I  want  to  help  the  weak ; 
I  want  to  make  men  holy, 

Glad  news  of  peace  to  speak: 
O  let  me  serve! 

I  want  to  make  men  brothers ; 

To  teach  the  rich  and  poor 
To  seek  the  good  of  others, 

And  aid  them  from  their  store: 
O  let  me  serve! 

Dear  Lord,  thou  ne'er  hast  left  me 

To  work  and  serve  alone; 
Nor  of  Thy  grace  bereft  me, 

But  more  and  more  hast  shown: 
O  let  me  serve! 

What  offering  can  I  tender 

For  what  Thou  gav'st  to  me  ? 
What  service  can  I  render 

That's  worthy,  Lord,  of  Thee? 
But  let  me  serve! 


72       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

And  when  Thy  hand  has  raised  me 

Unto  Thy  heavenly  throne, 
I'll  say,  when  I  have  praised  Thee 

For  the  "  Well  done  "  and  crown: 
Still  let  me  serve! 

After  spending  seven  weeks  in  the  city  Mr. 
Cochran  recovered  his  strength  sufficiently  to 
return  to  Mendham.  The  friends  there  had 
done  everything  for  his  comfort.  An  invalid- 
chair  had  been  placed  in  a  large  covered  car- 
riage, with  plenty  of  pillows  and  shawls,  so  that 
he  made  the  journey  very  easily  from  the  rail- 
way station  to  his  house.  People  stood  at  their 
doors  and  waved  their  greetings  as  he  drove 
past.  The  house  was  trimmed  with  flowers  and 
mottoes,  and  many  delicacies  had  been  sent  in. 
Friends  were  exceedingly  thoughtful  about 
tiring  him  with  calls,  much  as  they  desired  to 
see  him.  He  improved  rapidly,  and  seemed 
very  happy,  except  for  the  sad  thought  of  leav- 
ing so  many  loved  ones.  In  the  last  weeks  of 
his  life  he  expressed  the  conviction  that  it  would 
have  been  better  for  him  if  he  had  never  left 
his  home.  He  drove  out  every  day  and  walked 
out  occasionally,  and  would  have  gained  even 
faster  but  for  the  fatiguing  preparations  for 
leaving  home.  He  interested  himself  as  much 
as  ever  about  the  farm  and  garden,  and  never 


Trial  and  Triumph,  73 

seemed  to  admit  the  possibility  of  making  a 
permanent  home  elsewhere.  The  dear  Mend- 
ham  people  did  everything  in  their  power  to 
help  him  and  contribute  to  his  comfort. 

The  Sunday  before  he  left  Mendham,  he  went 
into  Sunday-school,  but  the  voice  that  had  so 
often  pleaded  tenderly  with  the  scholars  could 
no  longer  address  them.  He  went  to  the  black- 
board, of  which  he  had  made  such  constant  and 
appropriate  use,  and  wrote  his  farewell  message. 
"  I  want  everyone  in  this  Sunday-school  to  be 
a  Christian  before  I  come  back — no,  before  I  go 
away.  Your  loving  Pastor."  That  message 
still  remains  upon  the  board,  being  lovingly  and 
carefully  preserved.  At  Christmas  time  after- 
wards it  was  wreathed  in  evergreens,  and  at  his 
funeral  it  was  brought  up  to  the  church  draped 
in  deep  mourning. 

He  had  not  been  in  church  for  nearly  three 
months,  but  this  last  Sunday  he  ventured  to  go. 
At  the  close  of  the  service,  to  the  surprise  and 
alarm  of  his  friends,  who  feared  the  result  of 
such  an  exertion,  he  arose  and  went  forward  to 
the  platform  in  front  of  the  pulpit  and  said  a 
few  words  of  farewell  to  his  beloved  and  most 
loving  people.  He  never  entered  his  church 
again  till  "  devout  men  carried  him  to  his  burial, 
and  made  great  lamentation  over  him."     The 


74       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

last  words  he  spoke  to  his  people  were  the 
priestly  benediction,  "The  Lord  bless  thee  and 
keep  thee;  the  Lord  make  His  face  to  shine 
upon  thee,  and  be  gracious  unto  thee;  the  Lord 
lift  up  His  countenance  upon  thee  and  give  thee 
peace." 

On  Thursday  afternoon,  July  24,  he  walked 
down  the  hill  from  the  church  to  the  parsonage, 
and  as  he  looked  at  the  lovely  prospect  which 
had  so  often  delighted  his  eyes,  the  home  of  so 
many  years  and  the  scene  of  almost  his  whole 
ministry  lying  full  in  view,  he  remarked,  "  I 
shall  never  see  anything  so  beautiful  until  I  see 
it  again."  He  was  wonderfully  sustained 
through  all  these  trying  times,  as  to  outward 
composure,  but  his  heart  was  sorely  wrung. 

On  Tuesday,  July  28,  he  started  with  his  fam- 
ily to  St.  Paul.  It  was  a  very  trying  journey 
for  him.  The  heat,  fatigue,  and  discomfort 
were  too  much  for  his  strength,  and  it  was  many 
weeks  before  he  recovered  from  it;  indeed,  he 
was  not  as  well  as  when  he  left  Mendham  until 
cold  weather  came. 

A  pleasant  house  in  a  fine  location  in  St.  Paul 
was  secured  for  the  family  for  the  second  week 
in  September,  and  the  Doctor  urged  that  the 
interval  should  be  spent  in  some  country  place 
instead  of  being  in  the  city  in  the  hot  weather. 


Trial  and  Triumph.  75 

It  was  more  than  two  weeks  before  a  suitable 
place  could  be  found,  and  this  time  was  a  very 
trying  one  to  Mr.  Cochran,  suffering  much  from 
the  debilitating  heat,  and  several  members  of 
the  family  being  severely  sick,  but  at  length  a 
haven  of  rest  was  found  at  Wyoming,  Minn.,  a 
very  quiet  little  place  about  thirty  miles  from 
St.  Paul.  The  place  was  very  homelike  and 
pleasant,  a  regular  Pennsylvania  farm  -  house 
set  down  in  the  prairies  of  the  West.  The  rooms 
were  sunny  and  pleasant,  the  table  was  excel- 
lent, and  the  treatment  he  received  exceeding- 
ly kind. 

There  was  a  little  M.  E.  church  in  the  place, 
but  it  had  service  only  every  other  Sunday,  and 
they  only  had  Sunday-school  on  the  days  when 
they  had  Church.  This  did  not  suit  Mr.  Coch- 
ran, and,  feeble  as  he  was,  he  visited  the  princi- 
pal people  and  persuaded  them  to  have  Sun- 
day-school every  week.  When  he  visited  the 
place  a  year  later  they  had  almost  completed  a 
neat  little  church,  and  the  Mendam  people  sent 
them  a  communion  service  and  Sunday-school 
library. 

The  fall  was  a  very  damp  and  rainy  one, 
which  was  of  course  bad  for  his  health.  There 
was  much  severe  sickness  in  the  family,  and 
many  things  that  were  trying  in  his  surround- 


j6       A   Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

ings,  and  Mr.  Cochran  seemed  more  depressed 
than  at  any  time  during  his  decline,  but,  even 
then,  his  calm  and  courage  and  cheerfulness  were 
remarkable.  He  stayed  himself  upon  his  God  at 
all  times.  It  seemed  sad  that  he  who  had  led 
an  unusually  bright  and  happy  life  for  many 
years  should  have  had  so  many  dark  and  trying 
days  at  its  close.  Yet  his  courage,  faith,  and 
patience  shone  the  brighter  for  the  ordeal.  He 
greatly  missed  the  atmosphere  of  affection 
that  had  hitherto  wrapped  him  round,  and  felt 
that  his  infirm  health  precluded  his  making 
friendships  with  his  old  facility.  He  frequently 
said,  "Nobody  knows  me  here."  And  yet  he 
perhaps  won  more  affection  than  he  knew.  His 
Eastern  friends  did  all  that  they  could  to  sus- 
tain and  cheer  him  with  affectionate  letters. 
The  Mendham  people,  hearing  that  fruit  was 
hard  to  get  in  the  Northwest,  sent  at  different 
times  six  barrels  of  canned  and  other  fruit,  and 
sent,  besides,  barrels  of  Christmas  gifts  to  the 
household.  This  was  only  one  of  the  many 
ways  in  which  they  showed  their  love.  No  one 
was  asked  to  contribute,  and  people  who  did 
not  belong  to  his  congregation  begged  to  be 
allowed  to  testify  in  this  way  their  gratitude 
for  special  acts  of  kindness  shown  by  him. 
On  Thanksgiving  Day,  November  26,  1885, 


Trial  and   Triumph.  77 

his  youngest  child  was  born.  She  received  the 
name  of  father  and  mother  both,  Annie  Williams 
Cochran.  Her  little  life  was  a  ray  of  sunshine 
in  a  shady  place,  for  she  was  a  most  lovely  child. 
She  only  lived  a  little  over  two  years,  and  fol- 
lowed her  father  to  the  bright  home  above.  Of 
such  gentle,  loving,  docile,  happy  spirits  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven. 

After  cold  weather  set  in  he  improved  a  good 
deal  until  March,  when  he  undertook  work  for 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  inter- 
ested himself  in  the  poor  about  him,  and  sought 
out  ways,  as  he  always  did,  of  quietly  doing 
good.  Toward  spring  there  was  a  series  of  re- 
vival meetings  in  the  church,  which  he  attended. 
At  one  of  these  his  voice  was  heard  for  the  last 
time  in  public.  The  idea  of  the  address  was,  "  I 
surrender  to  Jesus  Christ."  Those  who  loved 
him  hoped  that  this  effort  was  an  earnest  of  re- 
turn to  active  life,  but,  alas!  their  hopes  were 
doomed  to  disappointment. 

Mr.  Cochran  had  entertained,  all  along,  the 
expectation  of  at  least  visiting  his  Eastern  home 
in  the  following  summer,  but  in  March  his  phy- 
sician told  him  that  this  would  be  unwise.  He 
was,  as  he  expressed  it,  "  bitterly  disappointed." 
He  now  decided  that  it  would  not  be  right  for 
him  to  continue  his  connection  with  the  Mend- 


y8      A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

ham  church  as  pastor,  and  he  wrote  resigning 
the  charge.  It  was  a  sharp  trial  to  him,  and  he 
wrote  to  a  friend:  "It  seems  to  me  that,  if  it 
were  God's  will,  I  would  rather  die  than  sever 
all  these  tender  ties."  The  people  accepted  his 
resignation  with  equal  regret.  The  following 
letter  was  written  him  by  the  session. 

"Mendham,  Apr.  18,  1886. 
"  Our  Dear  and  Honored  Pastor  : 

"  The  session  of  the  Church,  after  consider- 
ing carefully  and  prayerfully  and  sorrowfully 
your  communication  of  March  17,  and  having 
laid  the  matter  before  the  people  at  their  regu- 
lar parish  meeting  on  the  3d  inst.,  have  felt  con- 
strained to  agree  with  yourself  in  the  decision 
that,  under  the  circumstances,  a  dissolution  of 
the  pastoral  relation  would  perhaps  be  the 
wisest  thing  that  could  be  done  for  the  interests 
of  the  church.  It  is  unnecessary  to  add  that 
this  conclusion  has  been  arrived  at  only  at  the 
sacrifice  of  feelings  of  the  purest  and  warmest 
love  and  affection.  We  have  but  followed  the 
feeling,  indicated  in  your  letter,  of  one  whom 
we  have  been  accustomed  and  loved  to  follow, 
when  you  say  that  the  interests  of  Christ's  cause 
should  come  before  every  other  consideration, 
and  that  no  personal  attachment  should  be  al- 
lowed to  interfere  therewith. 

44  When  we  remember  your  words  of  wisdom, 
and  acts  of  unselfish  kindness  and  devotion  to 
the  best  interests  of  all  this  people,  your  noble 


Trial  and  Triumph.  79 

Christian  character,  known  and  read  of  us  all 
through  so  many  years,  how  could  we  arrive  at 
such  a  conclusion  except  at  a  sacrifice  of  our 
cherished  hopes  for  the  future  ?  We  can  truly 
say,  with  the  great  apostle,  '  We  remember  how, 
from  the  first  day  you  came  among  us,  after 
what  manner  you  have  been  with  us  at  all  sea- 
sons, serving  the  Lord  with  all  humility  of  mind, 
with  many  tears  and  temptations,  and  how  you 
kept  back  nothing  that  was  profitable  for  us,  but 
have  shewed  us  and  taught  us  publicly  and  from 
house  to  house.'  These  things  we  can  never 
forget.  We  can  only,  in  the  language  of  the 
same  great  apostle,  '  commend  you  to  God,  and 
to  the  word  of  His  grace,  which  is  able  to  build 
you  up,  and  to  give  you  an  inheritance  among 
all  them  which  are  sanctified.' 

"  Only  one  word  in  conclusion.  The  session 
desire  to  say  that  this  action  has  been  taken 
with  the  express  understanding  that  when  this 
is  received  by  you,  if,  for  any  reason,  you  have 
changed  your  mind,  then  this  action  shall  be 
null  and  void. 

"Amzi  M.  Babbitt, 
"Mahlon  Cole, 
"William  Hillard, 
"Aaron  Drake, 
"William  A.  Ward, 
"John  M.  Crane, 
"  Stephen  Babbitt." 

The  tender  relations  of  the  pastor  and  people 
were  not  severed  by  the  ending  of  the  pastorate. 


80       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

but  lasted  to  the  end  of  his  life,  and  will  con- 
tinue to  eternity. 

In  the  end  of  March  he  was  taken  with  a  se- 
vere attack  of  pleurisy,  which  for  a  time  threat- 
ened life,  but  he  rallied  somewhat,  though  he 
never  regained  what  he  lost  then.  The  General 
Assembly  met  that  year  in  Minneapolis,  and  he 
had  great  pleasure  in  attending  its  sessions, 
where  he  met  many  old  friends.  One  of  the 
Mendham  elders  was  a  delegate,  and  Mr.  Coch- 
ran greatly  enjoyed  a  visit  from  him,  and  his 
daughter,  who  accompanied  him. 

He  was  advised  to  try  the  Colorado  climate, 
and  the  doctor  thought  it  was  best  for  him  to 
go  without  the  responsibility  of  a  family,  and  it 
was  accordingly  arranged  that  he  should  go  to 
Colorado  Springs  early  in  June,  while  his  family 
went  to  friends  in  their  old  home.  This  entire 
arrangement  proved  to  be  a  great  mistake,  the 
climate  of  Colorado  being  unsuited  to  him,  ac- 
celerating the  action  of  the  heart  and  hastening 
the  softening  of  the  lungs.  The  long  journey 
drew  heavily  upon  his  waning  strength,  and  the 
separation  from  his  family  tried  his  affectionate 
spirit  and  told  on  him  physically. 

It  was  a  great  sorrow  to  his  friends  in  the 
East  that  he  could  not  visit  them.  The  Mend- 
ham  people  poured  out  upon  his  family  all  the 


Trial  and  Triumph.  8 1 

loving  kindness  that  they  would  gladly  have 
shown  to  him.  They  never  tired  of  talking  of 
him,  and  would  speak  of  their  longing  to  see 
him,  with  tears  rolling  down  their  cheeks.  Irish 
women  not  known  to  them  by  sight  would  stop 
members  of  his  family  on  the  street  to  inquire 
for  him  and  invoke  blessings  on  him.  At  pray- 
er-meeting the  prayers  for  him  were  earnest 
and  full.  One  night,  after  meeting,  his  wife  said 
to  two  of  the  elders,  4<  I  hope  you  won't  stop 
praying  for  Mr.  Cochran  now  that  he  is  no 
longer  your  pastor."  Tears  came  into  their 
eyes  as  they  responded,  "  We  never  will;"  and 
one  of  them  went  on  to  say,  "  There  are  many 
homes  where  he  is  prayed  for  night  and  morn- 
ing, and  I  have  often  thought  that  the  peace 
and  calm  and  trust  which  he  says  he  enjoys 
may  be  largely  due  to  his  people's  prayers." 
The  love  of  his  people,  shown  in  countless 
ways,  was  one  reward  he  had  for  his  life  work 
in  Mendham.  It  would  have  been  worth  while 
to  labor  for  fifteen  years  to  win  such  love,  even 
were  there  no  other  result.  But  only  the  Great 
Day  will  declare  all  that  he  accomplished  by 
his  work  of  faith  and  labor  of  love.  One  result 
of  his  long  illness  was  that  he  received  the  ac- 
knowledgment of  his  work  in  this  life,  and  knew 
a  little  of  how  he  was  loved,  while  most  men 
only  get  it  after  death. 


82       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

Friends  in  Colorado  Springs  were  exceed- 
ingly kind  to  him,  and  everything  was  done  for 
his  comfort.  He  never  tired  of  telling  how 
much  kindness  was  shown  to  him.  His  eldest 
son  was  with  him,  and  contributed  much  to  his 
comfort.  On  hearing  of  the  arrival  of  his  fam- 
ily at  Mendham,  he  wrote: 

"  Your  letters  were  just  like  your  dear  loving 
self  and  the  dear  old  home  in  whose  sweet 
atmosphere  they  were  written.  I  do  not  think 
in  my  weak  state  I  could  well  stand  the  strong 
emotions  that  would  come  upon  me  were  I  in 
the  midst  of  you.  Even  the  description  of  your 
arrival  agitated  me  so  that  I  could  hardly  con- 
trol myself.  I  see  it  all  in  imagination — oh  how 
vividly!  We  should  weep  together  if  I  were 
with  you  in  that  dear  study  of  many  precious 
memories.  The  Lord  has  met  me  there  a  good 
many  times,  and  He  will  meet  you  there  as  He 
has  done  before,  and  give  you  comfort  and 
strength. 

"  I  have  asked  myself  many  times  to-day,  as 
before,  '  Why  did  the  Lord  thrust  us  out  from 
so  much  happiness,  and,  I  think  we  may  say, 
usefulness?'  Two  answers  came  to  me — one, 
that  He  might  show  us  the  love  of  the  people, 
and  our  love  for  them,  as  we  would  not  have 
known  it  without  trial;  another,  because  there 
was  danger  of  our  loving  this  earthly  home  and 
friends  too  much.  These  are  but  parts  of  His 
ways.     They  will  be  plainer  some  day.     Love 


Trial  and  Triumph.  83 

to  all  in  the  dear  old  home.  Tell  the  children 
I  wish  we  could  'play  bear'  once  more  to- 
gether." 

Mr.  Cochran  reached  Colorado  Springs  June 
19.  On  the  28th  he  consulted  a  doctor  with 
large  experience  in  lung  troubles,  and  he  told 
him  that  he  thought  the  climate  would  be  un- 
favorable for  him:  but  that  he  had  better  wait  a 
week  or  two  and  see.  Later  he  told  him  that 
he  must  by  no  means  stay;  that  neither  Minne- 
sota nor  Colorado  were  suited  to  him,  but  that 
a  low  mountain  region,  like  the  Adirondacks  or 
North  Carolina,  would  be  better.  Mr.  Cochran 
wrote,  "  What  shall  I  do?  My  doctors  in  the 
East  send  me  West,  and  the  doctors  in  the  West 
send  me  East."  Finally,  it  was  decided  that  he 
should  go  to  Bayfield,  Wisconsin.  On  the  day 
before  leaving  Colorado  he  wrote  the  following 
verses,  suggested  by  Cheyenne  Canon: 

THE  LORD'S  LEADING. 

I  asked  the  Lord  to  lead  me  in  the  way ; 

I  felt,  but  could  not  see,  His  powerful  hand ; 
He  urged  me  on,  and  would  not  let  me  stay 

Where  mountains,  rocky,  bare,  forbidding,  stand. 

II  O  Lord,"  I  cried,   "the  path  I  cannot  see; 

I  cannot  scale  these  mountains,  steep  and  wild.  " 
He  led  me,  step  by  step,  most  patiently, 
As  father  leads  a  weak  and  tottering  child. 


84       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

Lo!  all  at  once  the  crags  were  cleft  apart; 

A  crystal  stream  refreshed  my  eyes,  my  tongue; 
Green  branches  waved  and  cheered  my  head,  my  heart. 

What  grandeurs,  beauties,  I  now  walked  among! 

And  when  through  life  I  see  no  way  before, 

But  troubles  rise,  like  mountains  wild  and  bare; 

The  God  who  made  one  canon  can  make  more — 
I'll  trust  His  leading  and  His  loving  care. 
Colorado  Springs,  July,  1886. 

On  July  16  he  went  to  Bayfield  accom- 
panied by  his  eldest  son,  and  on  the  1st  of 
August  was  joined  by  his  wife,  who  left  the  six 
youngest  children  under  the  care  of  friends  in 
the  East.  Bayfield  is  very  beautifully  situated 
on  the  shores  of  Lake  Superior,  and  Mr.  Coch- 
ran almost  lived  on  the  broad  piazza  just  out- 
side his  bedroom  window.  He  thought  the 
climate  agreed  with  him  better  than  that  of  any 
other  place  he  had  tried.  The  air  was  fine  and 
bracing,  the  society  in  the  hotel  pleasant.  Sun- 
day was  generally  well  observed,  and  Mr. 
Cochran  took  a  great  deal  of  pains  in  providing 
Sunday  reading  for  his  neighbors,  lending 
books  and  leaving  religious  papers  about  the 
piazza  in  hopes  of  their  being  taken  up.  He 
had  always  been  in  the  habit  of  filling  his 
pockets  with  picture  papers  and  little  books  for 
children, and  in  this  out  of  the  way  place  it  was 
often  matter  of  wonderment  where  his  supplies 
came  from.     Children  and  adults  soon  learned 


Trial  and  Triumph.  85 

to  love  him,  and  even  the  little  ones  would  come 
running  to  inquire, "  How  are  you  to-day,  Mr. 
Cochran  ?  " 

Then  began  a  period  of  great  enjoyment, 
which  he  often  spoke  of  as  a  sort  of  second 
honeymoon.  He  and  his  wife  were  together 
constantly,  and  with  nothing  to  interrupt,  no 
other  duties  to  conflict.  He  seemed  to  be  im- 
proving gradually,  gained  slowly  in  weight,  was 
bright  and  cheery.  Every  one  was  kind  and 
attentive,  and  seemed  interested  in  him.  His 
days  were  mostly  spent  in  reading  and  writing 
on  the  piazza,  from  which  there  was  a  glorious 
view  of  the  lake,  with  the  Apostle  Islands.  In 
the  afternoons  he  frequently  drove  in  a  buggy 
through  the  grand  pine  forests  behind  the 
hotel.  His  favorite  drive  passed  the  little  Bay- 
field cemetery  which  was  on  one  side  of  a  val- 
ley, and  on  the  other  side  was  a  slope  on  the 
top  of  which  was  a  long  line  of  magnificent 
pines  which  looked  like  a  stately  wall,  and 
seemed  to  him  like  the  border  between  the 
mortal  and  immortal  countries.  The  pines  of 
Bayfield  suggested  to  him  the  following  lines. 

THE  PINE   TREE. 

O  pine,  so  strong,  so  grand,  so  high, 
With  foot  on  ground  and  head  in  sky, 
Thou  art  a  giant  given  birth, 
To  join  the  heavens  and  the  earth. 


86       A   Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

Where  thou  thy  lofty  head  dost  rear 
Are  glorious  prospects  far  and  near, 
Thou  stretchest  out  thine  arms  to  bless 
The  trees  in  strength  and  stature  less. 

Thine  even  branches  make  thee  seem 
Like  ladder  in  the  patriarch's  dream 
Down  which  the  angel  bands  may  go 
To  reach  the  homes  of  men  below. 

Thy  trunk,  so  straight,  so  smooth,  so  round, 
So  firmly  rooted  in  the  ground, 
Is  like  a  temple  pillar  raised 
That  God  may  in  the  woods  be  praised. 

Thou  hast  thy  home  in  every  clime, 
Thou  laugh'st  at  changes  and  at  time, 
So  many  seasons  hast  thou  seen 
And  yet  thy  leaf  is  ever  green. 

How  useful  to  mankind  thou  art! 

When  they  have  found  thy  soft,  white  heart, 

How  many  comforts  from  thee  come 

To  beautify  and  bless  the  home. 

Oh  that  my  heart  and  life  might  be 
Straight,  strong,  well  rounded,  like  to  thee  ! 
That  I  like  thee  might  ever  grow    . 
To  bring  down  heaven  to  men  below. 

May  I  like  thee  a  pillar  grand 
Within  the  church  forever  stand, 
May  I  to  others  help  afford 
To  praise  and  glorify  the  Lord ; 

My  life  must  be  forever  green, 
For  I  eternal  life  have  seen 
And  I  may  laugh  at  time,  like  thee, 
'Tis  swallowed  in  eternity. 


Trial  and  Triumph.  87 

The  latter  part  of  August  the  foliage  began 
to  change  most  brilliantly,  and  he  enjoyed  bring- 
ing in  the  bright  leaves  and  berries  to  decorate 
his  room.  The  air  was  so  dry  and  warm  that 
he  would  often  sit  on  the  piazza  until  9  o'clock. 

Rev.  David  R.  Breed,  D.  D.,  of  Chicago,  was 
in  Bayfield  for  a  short  time,  and  Mr.  Cochran 
greatly  enjoyed  his  society  and  his  preaching. 
The  Doctor  had  been  obliged  to  leave  St.  Paul 
on  account  of  his  health,  after  a  pastorate  of 
fifteen  years,  and  they  talked  with  great  fellow- 
feeling  of  the  trial  of  leaving  a  loved  and  loving 
congregation.  Mr.  Cochran  said  to  him  one 
day,  "  I  would  rather  be  buried  in  Mendham, 
among  my  own  people,  than  anywhere  else." 
When  he  died  this  conversation  was  remem- 
bered, and  the  old  churchyard  at  Mendham  was 
chosen  as  the  most  appropriate  place  in  which 
to  lay  him  to  rest. 

Dr.    Breed   wrote   of  him   after   his    death  : 

"  Those  who  have  heard  his  name  only  in  con- 
nection with  his  work  for  Systematic  Benevo- 
lence know  but  little  of  his  pure,  unselfish,  af- 
fectionate nature.  The  secret  of  his  beautiful 
life  was  doubtless  his  systematic  devotion  to 
the  study  of  the  Word  of  God  for  personal  profit, 
and  to  his  regular  and  frequent  seasons  of  pri- 
vate prayer.  From  this  sprang  such  intimate 
communion  with  God  that  his  influence  was  of 


88       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

that  unusual  kind  which  the  ordinarily  earnest 
Christian  does  not  and  cannot  exert.  It  was 
rather  the  atmosphere  conveying  the  sense  of 
its  possessor's  close  and  constant  abiding  in 
Christ,  and  creating  in  one  the  desire  to  expe- 
rience it  also.  And  yet,  like  every  example  of 
that  spirit  which  is  truly  Christ-like,  there  was 
nothing  unnatural,  artificial,  or  conventional 
about  it,  and  nothing  which  separated  him  from 
the  sympathies  of  his  fellows.  He  was  always 
approachable,  and  all  were  attracted  to  him. 

"  He  spent  some  weeks  last  summer  at  Bay- 
field, Wis.,  where  he  won  the  hearts  of  villagers 
and  summer  boarders,  and  even  transient  visit- 
ors, and  where  the  many  kind  inquiries  after 
his  health,  and  delicate  ministries  to  his  wants, 
indicated  his  hold  upon  their  affections. 

u  I  had  some  very  delightful  conversations 
with  him  at  this  time,  as  he  spoke  with  perfect 
composure  of  the  change  which  he  knew  was 
not  far  away.  And  this  continued  to  the  last. 
1  The  end  of  that  man  was  peace.'  Of  him  I 
am  sure  it  may  be  said  that  '  he  walks  in  white 
now,  for  he  was  worthy.'  " 

On  the  2d  of  October  Mr.  Cochran  and  his 
family  took  possession  of  a  furnished  house  in 
St.  Paul.  His  children,  with  their  faithful  nurse, 
were  brought  out  from  the  East  by  one  of  his 
elders,  who  kindly  made  the  long  journey  for 
the  purpose.  It  was  great  pleasure  to  Mr. 
Cochran  to  see  this  dear  friend,  and  great  joy 


Trial  and  Triumph.  89 

to  be  united  again  with  his  children,  whom  he 
so  tenderly  loved, and  separation  from  whom  had 
been  most  keenly  felt.  The  next  day  they  all 
attended  a  communion  service  together  ;  it  was 
most  delighful  to  be  in  God's  house  once  more, 
a  united  family,  and  the  presence  of  the  Mend- 
ham  friend  added  much  to  the  pleasure. 

From  this  time  Mr.  Cochran  failed  rapidly  in 
strength.  First  he  dropped  his  horseback  rides, 
then  his  walks,  but  continued  till  the  very  last 
to  drive  out  every  afternoon.  He  seemed  to 
be  going  down  day  by  day,  and  it  was  terrible 
to  watch  the  ebbing  of  that  precious  life,  power- 
less to  do  anything  to  stay  the  tide. 

He  tried  to  do  his  usual  Christmas  shopping, 
but  had  to  give  it  up  into  other  hands.  He  in- 
sisted on  having  the  usual  Christmas  tree  and 
Christmas  greens,  but  was  too  feeble  to  do  any- 
thing but  sit  in  his  big  chair  and  watch  the  rest, 
so  different  from  his  old  active  self  on  such  oc- 
casions. On  Christmas  morning  he  said  to  his 
eldest  daughter,  "  Mary,  be  good  to  your  mother 
and  take  care  of  her  when  I  am  gone."  His 
brother's  family  all  came  to  dine  with  him  on 
Christmas  Day.  He  always  loved  Christmas 
keeping.  It  was  symbolical  of  his  cheery,  lov- 
ing nature.  He  was  always  specially  careful 
then  and  on  Thanksgiving  to  "send  portions 


go       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  IV.  Cochran. 

to  them  for  whom  nothing  is  prepared."  On 
the  evening  of  Christmas  Day  he  wrote  the  fol- 
lowing lines. 

JESUS  HAS  DIED. 

Why  should  I  shrink  from  death  ? 

Jesus  has  died  ; 
He  felt  the  laboring  breath, 

Jesus  has  died  ; 
Weakness  and  pain  He  knew, 
Parched  throat  and  tongue  that  drew 
"  I  thirst"  from  Him  so  true, 

Jesus  has  died. 

Why  should  I  fear  to  die  ? 

Jesus  has  died  ; 
He  paid  the  penalty, 

Jesus  has  died  ; 
For  my  sin  crucified, 
Wounded,  blasphemed,  denied, 
Stung,  He  sin's  sting  defied, 

Jesus  has  died. 

Through  Him  I  draw  each  breath, 

Jesus  has  died  ; 
He  has  the  keys  of  death, 

Jesus  has  died  ; 
He  lives  who  once  was  dead, 
His  hand  upholds  my  head, 
By  Him  I'm  gently  led, 

Jesus  has  died. 

Welcome,  then  welcome,  death, 

Jesus  has  died  ; 
Sing  my  last  lingering  breath, 

Jesus  has  died  ; 


Trial  and  Triumph.  91 

His  dying  words  I  hear, 
Filling  my  heart  with  cheer, 
11  To-day  thou'rt  with  me  here,'' 
Jesus  has  died. 
St.  Paul,  December  25,  1886. 

On  New  Year's  Day  he  had  a  delightful  call 
from  Dr.  Seaver,  a  Congregational  minister  for 
whom  he  had  a  great  affection.  After  his  death 
a  member  of  Dr.  Seaver's  church  wrote:  "  At 
our  communion  service  yesterday  he  made  a 
very  tender  allusion  to  Mr.  Cochran.  In  deli- 
cate and  appropriate  language,  without  referring 
to  him  by  name,  he  spoke  of  his  last  call  upon 
one  whose  presence  for  the  last  eighteen  months 
had  been  a  constant  benediction  to  those  of  us 
who  knew  him,  and  when  he  inquired  of  him  as 
to  his  hope,  he  replied  in  a  whisper  whose  em- 
phasis he  should  never  forget,  '  I  have  been  a 
great  sinner,  but  I  have  a  greater  Saviour.' 
Blessed  saint  !  even  in  his  last  days  he  was 
doing  his  Master's  work  even  more  effectively 
than  when  preaching  the  gospel,  by  opening  to 
those  of  us  who  knew  him  a  glimpse  of  the  light 
and  peace  of  heaven." 

After  New  Year's  for  four  or  five  Sundays  he 
did  not  get  to  church.  The  effort  was  too  much 
for  him  ;  it  was  as  much  as  he  could  do  to  get 
down  to  dinner.      Until  now  he  would  never 


92       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  L  W.  Cochran. 

admit  that  he  suffered,  always  saying  that  he 
had  a  very  comfortable  sickness,  but  about  this 
time,  in  conversation  with  an  old  Seminary 
friend  who  was  very  kind  to  him,  he  said  that 
he  suffered  enough  every  day  to  die.  But  his 
patient  courage  and  energy  were  wonderful. 
Few  would  have  kept  about  as  he  did.  He  had 
much  sleeplessness,  and  used  to  repeat  Psalms 
to  himself  as  he  lay  in  bed,  though  sometimes 
he  was  too  weak  even  for  that.  He  spent  a 
great  deal  of  time  each  day  over  the  Bible.  He 
made  it  his  study  and  delight.  He  said  to  his 
wife,  one  day,  "  You  will  find  great  comfort  in 
the  Psalms."  She  knew,  though  he  did  not  say 
it,  that  he  meant  after  the  terrible  separation 
came.  Afterward  it  seemed  as  if  the  Psalms 
were  a  special  message  from  him. 

The  house  was  dreadfully  cold,  the  ther- 
mometer often  standing  indoors  at  300  above 
zero  in  the  mornings,  and  once  at  200.  Water 
froze  nightly  in  his  room,  and  he  said  it  took 
all  his  vitality  to  struggle  with  the  cold.  When 
he  drove  out,  the  cold  air  affected  his  lungs  to 
such  a  degree  that  he  could  not  speak  for  some 
minutes  until  he  became  accustomed  to  the 
low  temperature.  There  was  a  pleasant  open 
fire  in  the  parlor,  by  which  he  sat  much  when 
he  was  once  up. 


Trial  and  Triumph*  93 

He  was  very  independent,  and  waited  upon 
himself  as  long  as  he  could,  but  he  gradually 
gave  up  one  thing  after  another,  until  at  last  he 
was  dressed  like  a  baby,  having  each  garment 
warmed  as  it  was  put  on. 

Morning  prayers  were  always  held  around 
his  bedside,  and  after  tea  the  family  assembled 
in  the  parlor  for  prayers,  which  were  always 
pleasant  and  informal,  as  of  old.  A  St.  Paul 
friend  has  written  since  Baby  Annie's  death, 
speaking  of  how  she  used  to  run  and  stand  be- 
side her  papa  when  prayers  began,  and  how  he 
used  to  lay  his  dear  hand  upon  her  little  head. 
He  had  never  been  able  to  toss  her  and  frolic 
with  her  as  he  did  with  the  other  children,  but 
would  often  ask  to  have  her  set  upon  his  knee 
for  a  little  while. 

The  last  Sunday  in  January  he  made  a  great 
effort  to  go  to  church,  in  order  to  hear  an  old 
college  friend,  Rev.  Mr.  Burkhalter,  of  Cedar 
Rapids.  He  greatly  enjoyed  the  sermon  on 
"  Noah  walked  with  God,"  but  as  he  drove 
home  he  objected  to  the  statement  that  the 
type  of  piety  in  those  days  was  higher  than  at 
present,  saying  :  "  I  do  not  believe  that.  I  be- 
lieve that  Dr.  R.  and  Mrs  F.  walk  with  God 
just  as  truly  as  Noah  and  Enoch  did." 

Dr.  Burkhalter  wrote,  a  month  later:  "  I  shall 


94       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  IV.  Cochran. 

always  remember  with  appreciation  his  remark- 
able kindness  in  coming  to  church  that  ex- 
tremely cold  Sabbath  morning.  I  was  think- 
ing, that  day,  as  I  was  preaching  from  the  text, 
'  Noah  walked  with  God,'  that  there  before 
me  in  the  pew  sat  a  goodly  illustration  in  our 
generation  of  the  same  walking  with  God  and  I 
knew  that  soon  it  could  be  written  of  him  as  of 
Enoch,  '  And  he  was  not,  for  God  took  him.' 
We  will  not  mourn  for  him;  we  will  only  learn 
from  him  how  lovely  and  desirable  it  is  to  fol- 
low Christ  closely  and  to  have  no  other  Mas- 
ter." 

Mr.  Cochran  suffered  much  from  his  throat 
and  from  catarrh,  and  on  Tuesday,  February  I, 
he  consulted  a  specialist  in  these  troubles. 
After  a  thorough  examination  he  said  to  the 
doctor:  "  Before  you  say  anything  to  me  I  want 
to  talk  to  you  a  little.  I  know  I  am  very  ill, 
and  could  not  be  surprised  by  anything  you  can 
tell  me  about  myself.  I  do  not  expect  to  live 
long,  and  my  strong  desire  is  to  go  East  in  the 
spring  and  be  among  my  friends  with  my  fam- 
ily. I  know  that  my  lungs  are  in  the  worst 
possible  condition."  The  doctor  said  that  he 
must  admit  that  the  lungs  were  very  much  dis- 
eased, but  that  a  great  deal  of  his  coughing 
and  discomfort  and  sleepless  nights  were  due  to 


Trial  and  Triumph,  95 

the  length  of  his  palate,  which  could  easily  be 
cut  were  he  strong  enough  for  the  operation. 
When  he  arose  to  go  the  doctor  said  :  "  Now  I 
have  finished  all  I  have  to  say  to  you.  You  go 
into  the  other  room  and  let  me  talk  to  your 
wife  a  little."  He  then  said  that  Mr.  Cochran's 
lungs  were  indeed  in  a  bad  condition,  one  en- 
tirely gone  and  the  other  softened  half-way 
down.  It  was  wonderful  that  he  could  keep 
about  as  he  did,  and  indicative  of  a  great  amount 
of  resolution;  that  as  he  desired  to  go  home  he 
should  be  taken  there  as  soon  as  possible,  for  he 
would  soon  be  unable  for  the  journey.  To  the 
objection  that  February  and  March  were  very 
bad  months  in  the  East,  he  said,  "  They  are 
very  bad  months  here.  He  will  be  as  well  off 
in  New  York  as  anywhere.  The  hope  of  seeing 
friends  will  brace  him  up  for  the  journey,  and 
after  he  gets  home  he  will  probably  rally  with 
the  pleasurable  excitement  and  be  better  for  a 
while."  The  doctor  thought  that  he  might  live 
three  months,  but  he  died  two  weeks  from  that 
day. 

When  Mr.  Cochran  was  told  that  the  doctor 
said  that  if  he  wanted  to  go  home  he  must  go 
soon,  as  he  was  stronger  now  than  he  would  be 
in  the  spring,  he  seized  eagerly  upon  the  idea. 
"  We  will  go  as  soon  as  we  can  get  ready.  How 


g6       A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

long  will  it  take?"  He  would  not  listen  to  the 
other  side.  "  I  want  to  go  home.  I  want  to 
see  my  friends."  He  never  faltered  in  this  res- 
olution. Several  times  when  asked  if  he  felt 
that  he  had  the  strength  for  the  journey,  he  re- 
plied, emphatically  "  I  am  going  home."  When 
it  was  said  to  him,  "I  hope  you  are  not  going 
for  the  family's  sake?"  "I  am  going  for  my 
own  sake,  too.  I  want  to  go  home."  He  had 
suffered  greatly  from  homesickness;  and  the 
thought  that  the  doctor  was  advising  him  to  go 
removed  all  obstacles,  and  the  longing  became 
irresistible.  The  great  regret  was  that  he  had 
not  gone  in  the  fall,  when  he  was  stronger. 

On  Sunday,  February  6,  he  went  to  church 
for  the  last  time.  It  was  Communion,  and  a 
most  solemn  service  to  his  family,  who  felt  that 
it  was  the  last  time  they  would  be  together  at 
the  Lord's  table  on  earth.  He  sat  holding  his 
wife's  hand  throughout  the  service,  his  children 
and  only  brother  all  about  him.  It  seemed  as 
if  they  were  standing  with  him  by  the  side  of 
the  dark  river  which  was  so  soon  to  divide  them, 
and  could  almost  see  the  chariots  and  angels 
on  the  other  side  that  were  to  bear  him  from 
their  sight.  Oh,  if  only  all  could  go  together! 
"Would  that  we  could  die  in  pairs  and  com- 
panies! " 


Trial  and  Triumph.  gy 

After  service  many  came  about  him  to  say 
farewell.  He  said  it  as  calmly  and  quietly  as 
if  he  were  going  to  Europe.  He  would  say,  as 
he  shook  hands  with  one  and  another,  "  I  shall 
never  see  you  again  in  this  world,  but  we  shall 
meet  above."  His  composure  kept  all  about 
him  outwardly  calm,  but  how  hard  it  all  was! 
44  The  cup  of  glory  "  must  be  very  full  and  sweet 
44  to  wash  down  life's  bitterest  woes." 

His  sister-in-law  came  in  to  dinner,  and  in 
answer  to  her  inquiries  for  his  health  he  said: 
"  My  flesh  and  my  heart  faileth,  but  God  is  the 
strength  of  my  heart,  and  my  portion  forever." 
Again  he  repeated  the  verses,  '4 1  am  a  stranger 
with  thee  and  a  sojourner,  as  all  my  fathers 
were.  Oh,  spare  me,  that  I  may  recover  strength 
before  I  go  hence,  and  be  no  more."  Over  and 
over  again  during  his  illness  he  made  answer  to 
those  who  inquired  for  his  health,  u  Though  the 
outward  man  perisheth,  the  inward  man  is  re- 
newed day  by  day."  As  one  said  at  his  funeral, 
11  We  might  almost  fancy  that  at  last  the  inner 
man  became  so  strong  and  glorious  that  the 
poor,  weak,  outer  man  could  no  longer  hold  the 
spirit,  and  he  went  up  higher  to  await  that  body 
which  shall  be  like  the  Master's  own." 

He  sat  for  a  long  time  that  afternoon  before 
the  open  fire   in  the  parlor  with  his  wife,  and 


98       A   Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

had  a  very  full  and  confidential  and  tender  talk. 
He  said,  "  I  cannot  stand  it  to  be  agitated,  but 
I  think  we  should  talk  freely  about  the  future." 
It  was  a  most  sacred  hour.  God  helped  them 
to  an  outward  calmness;  the  time  seemed  too 
solemn  for  anything  else. 

After  tea  the  family  assembled  for  their  usual 
Sunday  evening  services.  The  14th  of  John 
was  repeated,  and  then  each  one  chose  a  hymn 
to  be  sung.  His  turn  came  last,  and  he  chose, 
"Tarry  with  me,  O  my  Saviour!  "  It  was  sung 
the  next  week  at  his  funeral.  Then  all  prayed 
in  turn  a  short  petition.  His  was  the  last  prayer 
he  ever  prayed  aloud.  It  was  a  lovely  Sabbath 
day,  tenderly  to  be  remembered,  even  in  the 
eternal  Sabbath  above. 

The  next  few  days  were  very  busy.  Friends 
were  constantly  coming  in  to  say  good-bye, 
and  many  sent  in  little  delicacies  for  the  journey. 
In  spite  of  all  the  confusion,  he  was  never  al- 
lowed to  miss  being  read  to  and  attended  to 
just  as  usual.  Many  were  the  loving  words 
dropped  which  are  treasured  in  the  sorrowing 
hearts  of  the  survivors.  He  said  to  his  wife, 
"  If  there  is  any  way  to  be  with  you,  you  may 
be  sure  I  will  come,  and  perhaps  I  can  help  you 
more  there  than  I  could  here." 

His  sufferings  were  very  great  from  a  variety 


Trial  and  Triumph.  99 

of  minor  causes  as  well  as  from  weakness  and 
breathlessness.  It  seemed  as  if  the  whole  sys- 
tem had  broken  down  at  once,  and  yet  he  was 
cheerful  and  patient,  and  full  of  love  and  trust. 
He  was  very  grateful  for  all  the  services  render- 
ed to  him,  and  said  to  his  wife,  "  I  don't  believe 
there  is  anything-  you  would  not  do  for  me." 

The  day  before  he  left  St.  Paul  he  received  a 
letter  from  a  dear  friend  in  the  East,  in  which 
he  spoke  of  his  young  brother  as  developing  in 
Christian  life  and  activity,  and  added  that  the 
young  man  had  told  him  that  he  had  finally 
been  brought  to  Christ  by  a  sermon  of  Mr. 
Cochran's  on  "  Man  shall  not  live  by  bread 
alone."  His  eyes  filled  with  tears  as  he  ex- 
claimed, "  Oh,  isn't  God  good  to  let  me  know 
that !  " 

All  through  the  winter  he  had  been  greatly 
interested  in  the  revival  which  had  been  going 
on  in  Mendham.  Very  full  accounts  were  writ- 
ten to  him  of  it,  over  which  he  greatly  rejoiced, 
and  he  had  the  letters  read  aloud  at  family 
prayers,  so  as  to  give  direction  to  the  prayers 
for  the  people,  and  in  order  that  individual  cases 
might  be  remembered.  Doubtless  many  bless- 
ings were  given  in  answer  to  the  prayers  of  the 
dying  and  devoted  pastor.  Almost  the  last 
thing  he  did  on  the  night  he  left  St.  Paul  was 


100     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

to  write  in  a  Bible  which  was  a  gift  to  a  ser- 
vant who  had  been  very  kind  to  him,  her  name 
and  an  appropriate  text  of  Scripture.  It  was 
written  in  a  very  feeble  and  trembling  hand, 
and  the  book  was  received  with  tears  of  grati- 
tude.    He  never  used  his  pen  again. 

On  Thursday,  February  10,  he  started  with 
all  his  family  for  the  home  of  his  father-in-law, 
Mr.  Carter,  in  New  York.  His  brother  accom- 
panied him,  and  contributed  greatly  to  his  wel- 
fare. An  officer  of  the  road  had  placed  his  pri- 
vate car  at  his  disposal,  and  made  arrange- 
ments for  the  transfer  of  it  across  Chicago  to 
the  other  railway.  The  first  night  was  a  very 
restless  and  suffering  one.  In  the  morning  a 
doctor  was  telegraphed  for  to  come  on  board 
the  car  at  Chicago,  and  he  gave  him  temporary 
relief,  but  the  second  night  was  still  more  try- 
ing, especially  as  his  mind  began  to  wander  a 
little.  Though  he  suffered  much,  he  reiterated 
that  he  was  having  a  very  comfortable  journey, 
better  than  he  had  expected,  but  it  was  very 
hard  for  those  who  attended  him  to  witness  his 
sufferings.  On  Saturday  morning  a  doctor  was 
again  telegraphed  for,  and  he  traveled  with  him 
for  some  hours.  As  the  doctor  sat  upon  the 
state-room  sofa  opposite  Mr.  Cochran's  bed, 
he  entered  into  conversation  with  his  brother, 


Trial  and  Triumph.  101 

in  the  course  of  which,  the  doctor  said  that  he 
feared  he  was  not  a  Christian.  Mr.  Cochran 
had  been  lying  in  a  half  conscious  state,  but 
this  aroused  him,  and  he  said  to  his  brother, 
"  Please  shut  the  door,"  and  then  raising  him- 
self upon  his  elbow,  he  addressed  to  the  doctor 
an  earnest  appeal  to  accept  of  Christ  as  his  Sav- 
iour, to  which  the  physician  listened  with  fast- 
flowing  tears.  Like  his  Master,  he  might  have 
said,  "  The  zeal  of  thine  house  hath  eaten  me 
up."  All  day  long  he  failed  so  fast  that  it 
seemed  as  if  he  could  never  reach  home  alive. 
Rev.  Dr.  Kittredge,  of  New  York,  was  on  the 
sleeping-car,  and  came  to  the  state-room  to  in- 
quire for  him,  and  when  Mr.  Cochran  asked  him 
to  pray,  he  came  in  and  closed  the  door,  and 
prayed  very  earnestly  for  the  dear  sufferer. 

He  was  lifted  out  of  the  car  and  into  a  car- 
riage at  New  York,  and  when  Mr.  Carter's  house 
was  reached  a  strong  young  cousin  took  him  up 
in  his  arms  and  carried  him  into  the  house,  and 
up  to  his  room.  He  stroked  his  face,  and  said, 
"This  reminds  me  of  old  Princeton  days  when 
I  used  to  carry  you."  He  was  delighted  to  be 
at  home,  and  threw  his  arms  around  the  necks 
of  those  who  greeted  him  and  kissed  them. 
"  Oh  !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  it  is  so  good  to  be  at 
home."     He  said  to  his  father,  "  I  have  some- 


102     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

thing  that  you  have  not."  "  What  is  that?" 
"A  father's  house  to  come  to." 

He  was  very  happy  all  the  next  day,  which 
was  Sunday,  and  talked  a  good  deal,  but  his 
friends  discouraged  this  on  account  of  his 
fatigue.  It  was  hoped  that  he  would  live  for 
many  days  yet,  and  it  was  not  realized  that  this 
was  the  last  opportunity  for  conversation.  The 
few  friends  he  saw  he  greeted  very  lovingly, 
sometimes  saying,  when  a  quiet  kiss  was  given, 
"  Is  that  all  ?  "  and  drawing  them  back  for  a 
more  demonstrative  embrace. 

On  Monday  morning  his  mind  wandered 
slightly,  but  he  could  always  be  recalled  by  a 
word  of  explanation.  When  his  oldest  girl  en- 
tered the  room,  he  exclaimed,  "  Oh  my  darling 
daughter!"  To  an  aunt  he  said,  "  We  have 
been  very  graciously  dealt  with."  His  brother- 
in-law  said  to  him,  "  It  is  a  grand  thing  to  have 
our  glorious  hope."  He  answered  him  with 
great  earnestness,  "  Oh,  it's  everything,  it's 
everything!"  His  wife  said  to  him,  "  Do  you 
love  me,  Will?"  He  looked  at  her  with  such 
affection,  and  said,  "Indeed  I  do!"  These  were 
his  last  utterances,  and  it  was  typical  of  the 
earnest  Christian  and  devoted  husband  that  his 
heavenly  hope  and  his  earthly  love  were  the 
last  things  to  which  he  gave  expression.     Sev- 


Trial  and  Triumph,  103 

eral  times  he  opened  his  eyes  upon  a  loved  one 
who  sat  beside  him,  with  a  beaming  glance  of 
tenderness,  and  motioned  with  his  lips  to  be 
kissed. 

The  doctor  had  said  that  morning  that  he 
might  live  for  weeks,  but  as  the  day  passed  he 
sank  into  a  deep  sleep,  from  which  he  could  not 
be  aroused,  though  he  took  nourishment  and 
medicines  as  they  were  given.  In  the  afternoon 
two  of  the  younger  children,  Henry  and  Kitty, 
were  taken  by  their  aunt  to  her  home  in  Boon- 
ton,  as  the  household  was  so  large  in  New  York. 
They  kissed  him  good-bye,  but  he  did  not  rouse, 
or  notice  them. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  Tuesday,  February 
15,  the  family  assembled  around  his  bed.  He 
lay  sleeping  quietly,  with  such  a  calm  and  lofty 
look  that  it  seemed  as  if  his  thoughts  were 
already  in  heaven. 

"Asleep  in  Jesus.     O  how  sweet 
To  be  for  such  a  slumber  meet !  ' ' 

One  of  the  children  whispered  in  his  mother's 
ear,  "  Though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil."  Another, 
"Mamma,  'God  is  our  refuge  and  strength.'" 
His  brother  made  a  prayer,  in  which  he  thanked 
God  for  the  beautiful  life  that  had  been  lived 


104     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

among  us,  for  all  his  unselfishness  and  devotion 
and  lovely  traits,  and  committed  him  into  the 
hands  of  the  One  who  loved  him  best.  At  u 
o'clock  some  one  said,  "  He  is  going!"  It 
seemed  as  if  we  could  not  let  that  go  which 
was  the  life  of  our  life,  but  it  went.  The  breath 
came  slower  and  slower,  and  then  ceased.  There 
was  no  sign  of  suffering  or  struggle;  nothing 
but  a  look  of  lovely,  peaceful  calm  upon  his 
face.  He  was  prepared  for  his  burial  by  hands 
that  loved  him.  His  son  repeated  over  him 
the  words,  "  I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have 
finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith."  His 
dear  ones  loved  to  linger  by  his  side.  There 
was  something  in  his  face  so  high  and  calm  and 
noble  that  it  quieted  their  grief. 

When  the  telegram  announcing  his  death  ar- 
rived at  Boonton,  little  Kitty's  aunt  took  her 
up  on  her  knee  and  said,  "  When  you  left  papa 
yesterday  he  was  very  ill;  he  could  not  look  at 
you  or  speak  to  you;  but  now  he  will  never  be 
sick  any  more."  The  little  one  looked  up  bright- 
ly and  said,  "Oh,  isn't  that  good?"  A  day  or 
two  afterward  she  slipped  quietly  into  the 
room  where  her  mother  lay  weeping  on  the 
sofa,  and  putting  her  arms  gently  about  her 
neck,  whispered,  "  Mamma,  Papa  is  happy  in 
heaven!"     A  year  later    her  beautiful    golden 


Trial  and  Triumph.  105 

head  was  laid  beside  her  Papa's,  and  Kitty, 
too,  was  happy  in  heaven. 

On  Thursday  afternoon  a  service  was  held  in 
the  house  of  Mr.  Carter  in  New  York,  at  which 
Dr.  Hamilton,  Dr.  Aikman,  and  Rev.  Mr.  De 
Camp  took  part.  Mr.  Cochran  had  desired  to 
be  buried  in  Mendham,  and  a  beautiful  spot 
was  provided  by  his  loving  people  under  the 
shadow  of  the  church  for  which  he  had  labored 
so  long  and  so  lovingly,  and  overlooking  the 
parsonage — the  home  of  many  happy  years. 
On  Friday,  the  18th  of  February,  he  was  taken 
there.  Everything  was  done  that  thoughtful 
love  could  suggest.  The  church  was  beauti- 
fully draped  by  loving  hands.  For  a  little  while 
the  dear  form  rested  in  the  parsonage  which  he 
had  so  long  brightened  with  his  presence.  It 
was  sad  to  think  how  he  had  longed  for  that 
home,  but  never  was  brought  to  it  until  he  was 
cold  in  death. 

A  very  large  and  sorrowful  assembly  gath- 
ered in  the  church,  for  he  had  been  widely 
known,  and  loved  wherever  he  was  known.  The 
session  bore  in  the  precious  casket,  and  laid  it 
on  the  spot  where  he  had  stood  to  speak  his 
farewell  words  to  the  people.  As  they  did  so 
the  choir  chanted,  "  Blessed  are  the  dead  who 
die  in  the  Lord,"  and  afterward  Dr.  Theodore 


106     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

White  made  a  beautiful  prayer,  in  which  he 
thanked  God  for  "the  grace  which  abounded  in 
this  dear  brother,  and  enabled  him  to  make  such 
full  proof  of  his  ministry,  and  endowed  him  with 
such  fervor  as  to  stand  for  so  many  years  in  this 
place,  doing  faithfully  the  work  of  a  minister  of 
Christ,  and  endearing  unto  him  not  only  this 
people,  but  all  those  who  knew  him."  The 
hymn  "Tarry  with  me,  O  my  Saviour!"  was 
then  sung,  and  Dr.  John  C.  Rankin,  whom  Mr. 
Cochran  had  long  reverenced  as  a  father,  made 
a  most  affecting  and  beautiful  tribute  to  the 
character  of  one  whom  he  regarded  as  his  dear- 
est friend  in  the  ministry.  He  spoke  of  him  as 
the  ideal  Christian  gentleman,  whose  courtesy 
required  no  effort  or  thought,  but  simply  shone 
out  in  the  whole  man — as  the  model  husband 
and  father,  whose  own  household  exemplified 
the  idea  that  the  family  was  the  emblem  and 
the  training-school  of  heaven;  as  the  minister 
thoroughly  equipped  mentally  for  his  work, 
giving  himself  wholly  to  it  for  the  love  of  it, 
and  for  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ  and  his  kingdom. 
The  choir  then  sang  the  anthem,  "  Servant 
of  God,  well  done! "  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Erdman, 
of  Morristown,  a  dear  friend  of  Mr.  Cochran, 
spoke  in  touching  terms  of  his  character  and 
work.     He  said  of  him: 


Trial  and  Triumph,  107 

"  He  always  reminded  me  of  the  Apostle  John, 
the  beloved  of  the  Lord.  For  this  man  was  as 
firm  as  a  rock ;  steadfast  and  true,  full  of  zeal  and 
full  of  fire,  and  yet  all  the  while  as  gentle  as  a 
woman.  Of  the  unselfishness  of  his  character  I 
need  hardly  speak.  Was  there  ever  a  storm  in 
the  dead  of  winter,  was  there  ever  any  inclem- 
ency of  the  weather,  that  kept  this  man  at  home 
when  he  thought  that  he  could  do  some  good 
for  his  fellow-men  or  for  his  Master?  He  never 
counted  anything  too  hard  or  too  self-sacrific- 
ing; he  was  always  willing  to  spend  and  be 
spent  in  the  Master's  service.  If  there  is  a  man 
or  woman  in  this  parish  who  heard  Brother 
Cochran's  preaching  or  witnessed  his  life,  who 
will  be  found  at  last  cast  out  from  the  Master's 
presence,  it  will  not  be  Brother  Cochran's  fault, 
and  it  will  be  a  dreadful  moment  for  the  soul  of 
anyone  who  has  been  permitted  to  know  this 
man,  if,  when  it  answers  to  God,  it  shall  be  found 
wanting;  for  you  may  bring  up  all  the  argu- 
ments you  please  against  the  Word  of  God  and 
the  holy  religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  here  is  an  argu- 
ment— this  man's  life,  and  this  man's  words,  and 
this  man's  character — to  meet  all  these,  for  this 
was  indeed  a  Christian  man.  May  these  boys, 
these  sons  of  dear  Brother  Cochran,  remember 
their  father  as  a  man  of  God  and  servant  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  may  it  be  their  ambition  to 
be  something  like  father,  to  do  some  such  things 
as  father  did,  and  to  be  such  a  Christian  as 
father  was,  and  God  will  bless  them  indeed." 

One  of  the  most  impressive  parts  of  the  ser- 


108     A    Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

vice  followed  when  Mr.  Thomas  Cochran  arose, 
and,  with  figure  and  voice  so  like  his  brother's, 
stood  with  his  hand  upon  the  casket,  and  spoke 
in  his  name  a  message  which  might  have  come 
from  the  beloved  pastor's  own  lips.  Rev.  Mr. 
Huntting,  of  Andover,  made  an  earnest  and 
tender  closing  prayer;  the  hymn  "It  is  not 
death  to  die  "  was  sung,  and  Dr.  Erdman  pro- 
nounced the  benediction.  The  choir  softly  sang 
"  Shall  we  gather  at  the  river?  "  while  the  con- 
gregation passed  around  the  coffin,  taking  a 
fond  farewell  of  their  dear  friend  and  pastor, 
whose  face  they  should  see  no  more  till  the 
heavens  pass  away. 

The  Mendham  people  were  greatly  touched 
by  Mr.  Cochran's  choosing  to  sleep  his  last 
sleep  among  them.  One  lady  writes,  "  Mend- 
ham  is  honored  by  being  chosen  his  last  rest- 
ing-place;" another,  who  had  already  buried 
there  her  parents,  husband,  and  children,  "  The 
churchyard  does  not  seem  lonely  to  me  since 
Mr.  Cochran  lies  there."  His  grave  on  the  hill- 
top is  a  perpetual  sermon  to  them,  emphasizing 
all  the  teachings  of  his  life.  It  is  constantly 
visited  by  loving  steps,  and  adorned  with  fresh 
flowers.  In  one  of  his  sermons,  years  ago,  he 
had  spoken  of  the  lovely  and  fragrant  flowers, 
sweet  alyssum,  lilies  of  the  valley,  pansies,  and 


Trial  and   Triumph.  109 

mignonette,  as  being  emblematical  of  the 
Christian  character,  humble  and  sweet.  One 
of  the  congregation,  remembering  this,  has 
planted  them  upon  his  grave.  The  turf  about 
is  kept  short  and  thick  and  green  by  no  hired 
hands. 

The  lesson  of  that  grave  upon  the  hill-top  is 
one  not  only  of  memory,  but  of  hope.  There 
the  pastor,  with  his  congregation  about  him, 
awaits  a  glorious  resurrection.  As  one  of  his 
own  little  ones  remarked  on  the  evening  of  the 
funeral,  "  It  may  not  be  very  long  before  we 
see  him  again,  for  Jesus  may  come  to-night,  and 
when  He  comes  Papa  will  come  with  Him." 

The  spot  where  he  rests  is  marked  by  a  tall 
granite  obelisk,  on  which  is  the  inscription: 

"  Let  me  Serve." 

Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

Sept.  ii,  1841. 

Feb.  15,  1887. 

For  sixteen  years  pastor  of  this  Church. 

"  His  servants  shall  serve  him,  and  they  shall  see 

HIS   FACE." 

In  the  church  is  a  very  beautiful  tablet,  on 
which  are  inscribed  the  same  name  and  dates, 
and  below,  his  message  to  his  flock: 

"  Tell  my  dear  people  I  died  in  the  faith  I 
always  preached,  and  earnestly  hope  to  meet 
them  in  glory." 


PASTORAL   LETTERS. 

The  following  pastoral  letters  were  written 
by  Mr.  Cochran  to  his  congregation  on  sacra- 
mental occasions:  the  first,  when  he  was  taken 
ill  in  New  York;  and  the  second,  soon  after  he 
had  gone  West;  the  third,  just  after  he  had  re- 
signed his  pastoral  charge.  They  were  written 
from  the  heart,  and  to  the  heart,  and  read  with 
deep  emotion  by  the  clergyman  who  adminis- 
tered the  ordinance,  and  listened  to  by  the  con- 
gregation with  streaming  tears: 

"  New  York,  June  ii,  1885. 
"  My  Dear  Brethren  and  Friends, 

"  Your  pastor  has  greatly  desired  to  be  pres- 
ent with  you  in  the  flesh,  and  to  commune  with 
you  to-day,  as  you  commune  with  our  common 
Lord.  He  had  reason  to  hope  at  one  time  tha*t 
this  privilege  might  be  granted  us,  but  the  state 
of  his  health  has  forbidden,  and  we  must  bow 
to  the  will  of  the  Master  who  loves  us  and  who 
'  doeth  all  things  well,'  but  though  absent  in 
body,  he  can  be  present  in  spirit,  and  though 
we  are  separated  by  many  miles  of  space,  we 
can  be  nearer  to  each  other  in  our  union  to 
Christ  than  by  the  vision  of  the  eyes  or  the 
touch  of  the  hands. 

"  I  had  fondly  hoped  that,  though  laid  aside 
1 10 


Pastoral  Letters.  1 1 1 

for  a  time  from  active  work  among  you  in  the 
ministry,  my  family  and  myself  might  still  dwell 
with  you  until  I  had  recovered  my  health  and 
was  able  to  resume  my  duties. 

"  It  is  probable  that  such  relief  from  labor 
would  be  sufficient  to  restore  my  health  with- 
out any  change  of  climate.  But  the  best  medi- 
cal advice  which  can  be  had  has  counselled  me 
that  my  restoration  will  be  much  more  certain 
if  I  spend  the  next  year  in  the  West.  In  fact, 
these  advisers  insist  that  my  recovery  is  very 
doubtful  if  I  remain  East,  but  almost  certain  if 
I  seek  a  Western  climate. 

11 1  hope  during  the  present  week  to  return  to 
my  home  to  remain  for  two  or  three  weeks, 
when  we  will  be  able  to  speak  parting  words  in 
private. 

"  But  the  state  of  my  health  will  not  permit 
my  addressing  you  in  public,  and  it  occurred  to 
me  that  this  occasion  would  be  a  suitable  one 
for  me  to  send  to  you,  as  a  church,  some  words 
of  counsel  and  farewell. 

"  I  cannot  tell  you  how  sad  I  am  to  leave 
you.  I  need  not.  Our  love  is  mutual.  You 
feel  the  separation  as  much  as  I  do.  You  have 
shown  your  love  to  me  in  many  ways  during 
these  fifteen  years  of  my  ministry  among  you. 
As  I  look  back  on  that  ministry,  I  am  conscious 
that  it  has  had  many  defects,  but  love  for  my 
people,  and  earnest  desire  for  the  welfare  of  their 
souls,  have  not  been  lacking. 

"  I  can  say  to-day  in  the  presence  of  Him 
who  knoweth  all  hearts,  and  with  these  solemn 
symbols  about  us,  that  there  is  not  a  soul,  young 


112     A  Memorial  of  Rev,  I.  W.  Cochran. 

or  old,  in  the  parish  that  I  have  not  borne  on 
my  heart  before  God  in  prayer,  and  for  whose 
salvation  I  have  not  longed. 

"  I  thank  God  that,  though  I  cannot  labor  for 
your  salvation  during  the  year  to  come,  I  can 
still  pray  for  it. 

"  Where  can  we  find  better  comfort  in  our 
sadness,  dear  brethren,  than  in  this  ordinance  ? 

"What  sadness  there  was  at  its  first  celebra- 
tion! What  a  parting  there  was  then!  The  dis- 
ciples did  not  realize  it,  but  the  Master  did,  and 
he  spoke  words  of  comfort  which  they  remem- 
bered long  after  and  recorded  for  our  help. 
1  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled.'  '  I  will  not 
leave  you  comfortless,  I  will  come  to  you.'  '  If 
I  go  not  away,  the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto 
you,  but  if  I  depart  I  will  send  him  unto  you.' 
Though  your  pastor  is  removed  from  you  for  a 
time,  Christ  is  still  with  you.  Though  we  are 
separated  from  one  another,  His  spirit  will  still 
dwell  with  us  and  guide  us.  Oh  that  we  might 
all  live  according  to  those  counsels  of  our  Lord 
at  the  first  Supper  ;  that  we  might  abide  in  Him 
as  the  branch  in  the  vine  and  so  bring  forth 
much  fruit;  that  we  might  all  love  one  another 
as  He  has  loved  us ! 

"  Jesus  said  to  His  disciples,  '  It  is  expedient 
for  you  that  I  go  away.'  They  gained  some- 
thing in  the  gift  of  the  Spirit  and  in  a  more 
active  and  independent  spiritual  life  by  separa- 
tion from  Christ.  If  your  pastor's  absence  leads 
you  to  more  dependence  on  Christ,  to  more  in- 
dividual activity  in  His  service,  it  will  be  a 
blessing.     I  do  most  earnestly  exhort  you  who 


Pastoral  Letters.  1 1 3 

are  the  Lord's  people  to  be  more  earnest  in 
prayer,  more  studious  of  the  word,  more  faith- 
ful in  attending  church  and  prayer-meeting  and 
Sabbath-school,  more  zealous  in  working  out 
your  own  salvation,  and  more  active  in  trying  to 
save  others  than  you  have  ever  been  before. 

"  Be  liberal,  also,  in  offering  of  your  substance 
for  the  work  of  the  Lord. 

'"The  elders  which  are  among  you  I  exhort: 
Feed  the  flock  of  God  which  is  among  you,  not 
as  being  lords  over  God's  heritage,  but  being 
ensamples  to  the  flock.  Likewise,  ye  young- 
er, submit  yourselves  unto  the  elder,  yea,  all  of 
you  be  subject  one  to  another.'  We  have  rea- 
son to  rejoice  that  God  in  His  providence  has 
recently  given  us  additional  elders,  so  that  the 
church  has  sufficient  officers  at  this  trying  time. 
I  have  no  doubt  that  it  will  be  safe  under  their 
direction. 

"  I  must  say  a  few  words  to  you  who  have 
not  partaken  of  this  feast  to-day.  Some  of  you 
I  have  seen  grow  up  from  childhood,  some  of 
you  I  have  baptized,  all  of  you  I  have  loved  and 
prayed  for.  You  are  lost  forever  unless  your 
sin  is  washed  away  in  that  blood  which  was 
shed  for  the  remission  of  sins.  You  can  have 
no  life  unless  you  feed  by  faith  on  the  Son  of 
God.  Why  starve  any  longer  when  there  is  a 
feast  at  hand  ?  take  and  eat,  and  live  forever. 

"  Brethren,  pray  for  us,  for  me  and  my  family, 
as  we  shall  for  you.  May  we  have  the  blessed 
privilege  of  sitting  down  together  again  at  the 
'Supper'  on  earth,  and  if  this  is  denied  us,  may 
we  have  the  still  more  blessed  privilege  of  sit- 


1 14     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

ting  down  together  at  the  marriage  supper  of 
the  Lamb. 

"  Your  loving  pastor  in  the  Lord, 

"I.  W.  Cochran." 


"Wyoming,  Minn.,  September  2,  1885. 
"  Dearly  Beloved, 

"  It  has  occurred  to  me  that  a  few  words  from 
your  pastor  might  be  appropriate  at  your  com- 
munion season,  especially  as  your  acting  pastor 
is  not  present  with  you. 

"  You  will  be  glad  to  know  that  your  prayers 
have  been  answered,  and  that  my  general  health 
has  improved  greatly  since  I  came  to  the  West. 
Rut  I  am  much  troubled  with  hoarseness,  and 
could  hardly  now  speak,  loudly  enough  to  be 
heard,  the  few  sentences  which  I  uttered  the  last 
Sabbath  I  was  with  you.  It  will  be  some  time,  I 
fear,  before  my  voice  recovers  its  former  power, 
so  that  I  still  need  your  prayers  for  the  restora- 
tion of  bodily  health,  if  it  be  the  Lord's  will. 

"  Our  Heavenly  Father  means  to  teach  us  pa- 
tience and  faith  by  this  trial,  and  we  ought  not 
to  wish  it  removed  until  we  learn  all  that  He 
desires  us  to  learn  by  means  of  it.  I  can  testify 
that  He  gives  me  peace  and  comfort  in  Himself 
day  by  day. 

"  May  He  do  the  same  for  you  all,  whether 
you  are  under  affliction  or  not! 

"  I  rejoice  that  although  we  are  so  far  separa- 
ted by  space,  we  are  one  in  Christ  and  can 
commune  together  by  His  Spirit. 

"  I  shall  observe  the  hour  of  your  communion 


Pastoral  Letters.  1 1 5 

service  as  a  time  of  special  prayer,  and  thus  meet 
with  you  more  nearly  than  some  who  may  sit  at 
your  sides,  but  who  do  not  commune  with  our 
Lord  and  with  us. 

"  '  There  is  a  place  where  spirits  blend, 

Where  friend  holds  fellowship  with  friend; 
Though  sundered  far,  by  faith  they  mca 
Around  one  common  mercy-seat.' 

"It  seems  to  me  that  this  fall  communion 
season  should  impress  on  us  many  lessons  from 
the  world  about  us.  The  earth  is  ripening  her 
fruits  day  by  day,  and  we  are  enjoying  both  the 
abundance  and  the  freshness  of  garden  and 
orchard. 

"So  the  Church,  as  the  garden  of  the  Lord, 
ought  to  be  yielding  Him  fresh  fruits  of  praise 
and  prayer,  of  self-denial  and  service,  of  love 
and  joy,  every  day. 

"We  are  too  apt  to  be  content  with  offering 
that  which  is  stale  in  thought  or  experience — 
the  same  words,  the  same  feelings  we  had  long 
ago,  without  any  freshness  or  increase. 

"May  we  all  realize  that  the  Lord  Jesus 
Himself  is  present  with  us  to-day,  and  may  new 
thoughts  of  love  and  faith  go  forth  towards 
Him — not  new  because  we  have  never  known 
them  before,  but  new  in  freshness  and  strength! 

"This  epistle  will  bring  vividly  before  you 
the  face  of  your  pastor,  who  is  so  many  miles 
away.  May  the  blessed  symbols  of  the  Supper 
bring  more  vividly  to  your  view  Him  '  whom, 
not  having  seen,  we  love;  in  whom,  though  now 
we  see  Him  not,  yet  believing,  we  rejoice  with 
joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory.' 


Ii6     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

"May  this  communion  season  be  fruitful  in 
resolutions  which  shall  perform  needed  service 
for  Christ  and  His  Church. 

"You  are  laying  your  plans  for  gathering  in 
the  fruits  of  the  field.  Plan  also  to  gather  fruit 
for  the  heavenly  garner. 

"  The  time  most  fitted  for  spiritual  work  in 
the  Sabbath-school  and  the  prayer-meeting  is 
at  hand. 

"There  are  many  yet  unconverted.  By  faith 
and  labor  they  can  be  brought  in.  Conversion 
leading  to  confession  and  church  membership  is 
one  of  the  best  tests  of  the  faithfulness  of  the 
Lord's  people. 

"  How  many  souls  have  we  won  to  Christ 
during  the  last  three  months  or  the  last  year  ? 

"Dear  friends  who  are  still  without  the 
church,  I  saw  at  parting  good  evidence  of  your 
love  to  me.  Oh  that  you  would  love  and  serve 
that  Saviour,  who  loves  you  and  died  for  you, 
whom  I  have  tried  to  preach  to  you. 

"  I  rejoice  to  learn  that  you  all  are  receiving 
your  acting  pastor  as  an  ambassador  for  Christ. 
May  many  be  reconciled  to  God,  and  many 
edified  and  established  by  his  ministry! 

"  I  need  hardly  say  that  my  family,  who  are 
members  with  you  of  the  same  visible  church, 
unite  with  me  in  Christian  salutation  and  com- 
munion in  the  Lord. 

"May  the  Lord  make  you  abound  in  every 
good  word  and  work ! 

"Your  loving  pastor  in  the  Lord, 

"  I.  W.  Cochran." 


Pastoral  Letters,  117 

"To  the  Church  and  Congregation  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Mendham,  N.  J. 

"Dearly  Beloved  Brethren: 

11  The  Lord  has  willed  that  the  ties  which 
have  so  long  bound  us  together  as  pastor  and 
people  should  be  sundered.  But  we  are  still 
one  in  Christ.  There  are  cords  which  never 
can  be  broken  because  they  unite  us  to  the 
eternal  heart  of  Christ.  In  the  house  of  God, 
at  the  communion  table,  we  can  have  fellowship 
still  one  with  another. 

"  I  want  to  thank  you  as  a  people  for  all  you 
have  been  to  me  and  mine,  for  your  teachable- 
ness, your  affection,  your  appreciation  of  my 
efforts  for  you.  As  I  look  back  I  realize  many 
imperfections  in  my  ministry,  but  you  kindly 
forgave  them,  as  I  believe  the  Lord  has. 

"  Especially  during  this  time  of  trial  have  my 
family  and  myself  felt  the  support  of  your  sym- 
pathy and  your  prayers.  Pray  for  us  still,  as 
we  do  and  shall  for  you. 

"I  would  testify  here  to  the  love  and  grace 
of  Christ  in  all  this  affliction.  He  has  given  me 
almost  uniform  comfort  and  peace,  so  that  I 
have  often  been  happier  than  in  times  outward- 
ly more  prosperous.  From  my  own  experience 
I  can  commend  this  '  God  of  all  comfort  '  this 
all-sympathizing  Saviour,  to  those  of  you  who 
have  never  tasted  His  love. 

"  I  believe  that  one  lesson  which  the  Lord  is 
teaching  us  in  these  experiences  is,  that  noth- 
ing must  come  between  us  and  Him.  He  must 
be,  He  is,  worthy  to  be  more  than  home  or 
friends  or  church  or  .pastor.     He  is  constantly 


n8     A   Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

saying  to  us  as  He  says  in  the  ordinance  of  the 
Supper,  '  This  do  in  remembrance  of  Me.' 
4  This  is  My  cup  of  suffering,  drink  ye  all  of  it.' 

"  We  can  never  keep  near  to  Christ  except 
by  the  means  of  grace.  '  Remember  the  words 
that  I  spake  unto  you  while  I  was  yet  present 
with  you.'  Enter  regularly  '  into  thy  closet  and 
shut  thy  door,  and  pray  to  thy  Father  which  is 
in  secret.'  '  Search  the  Scriptures,'  for  they 
testify  of  Christ.  '  Forsake  not  the  assembling 
of  yourselves  together  '  in  the  Sabbath  worship 
and  the  weekly  prayer-meeting,  '  as  the  man- 
ner of  some  is:'  Come  to  the  Lord's  table  with 
preparation  and  prayer,  that  you  may  feed  on 
Him.  '  Teach  these  things  diligently  to  thy 
children,'  and  pray  with  and  for  them. 

"  Dear  children  of  the  church,  in  baptism  you 
were  put  into  the  arms  of  Christ,  why  turn  your 
faces  away  from  Him  and  struggle  to  get  back 
to  the  world  ?  You  are  His,  and  you  ought  to 
own  it. 

"  I  beseech  you  all  to  show  your  faith  by  your 
works.  A  church  like  ours  ought  to  be  an  irre- 
sistible power  in  a  community.  It  would  be  if 
every  member  were  filled  with  the  spirit.  Strive 
to  convert  your  brother  from  the  error  of  his 
way  and  save  his  soul  from  death.  Testify  and 
work  against  liquor  selling  and  every  moral  evil. 
Give  systematically  and  proportionately  '  as  the 
Lord  hath  prospered  you.'  '  Be  at  peace  among 
yourselves,  and  the  very  Lord  of  peace  be  with 
you.'  Avoid  even  unkind  thoughts  toward 
your  brethren.  Hold  up  the  hands  of  your  future 
pastor   as   you  have  held  up  mine.     May  the 


Pastoral  Letters.  119 

Lord  speedily  guide  you  to  one  whom  you  can 
thus  support  and  aid  ! 

"  Dear  friends  who  are  still  outside  of  the 
church,  and  many  of  you  yet  out  of  Christ,  I 
know  your  love  to  me — oh  that  you  would  love 
my  Saviour  and  yours  ! 

"  Dearly  beloved,  we  shall  meet  again,  I  hope 
in  this  world,  I  am  sure  in  the  world  to  come. 
4  The  things  which  are  unseen  are  eternal.'  In 
that  world  above,  we  shall  remember  the  many 
blessed  associations  we  have  had  together  here, 
and  shall  be  the  happier  and  better  for  them. 
Samuel  Rutherford's  thought  has  been  often  in 
my  mind,  with  a  change  of  words  : 

"  •  Dear  Mendham  on  the  hillside 

To  me  thou  still  art  dear  ; 
E'en  from  the  verge  of  heaven, 

I'll  drop  for  thee  a  tear. 
Oh,  if  one  soul  from  Mendham 

Meet  me  at  God's  right  hand, 
My  heaven  will  be  two  heavens 

In  Immanuel's  land  !' 

"  I  am  now,  and  forever  will  be, 

"  Yours  in  Christ, 
"  I.  W.  Cochran." 


SERMONS. 

THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  CHRISTIAN   GIVING. 

As  Taught  by  the  Apostle  Paul  in   I  Cor.  xvi.  i,  2. 

"  Now  concerning  the  collection  for  the  saints,  as  I  have  given 
order  to  the  churches  of  Galatia  even  so  do  ye.  Upon  the  first 
day  of  the  week  let  every  one  of  you  lay  by  him  in  store  as  God 
hath  prospered  him,  that  there  be  no  gatherings  when  I  come." 

Preached  in  the  Chapel  of  the  Seminary  at  Princeton,  Sun- 
day, January  II,  1885. 

THE  dignity  and  importance  of  Christian  giv- 
ing is  suggested  by  the  context.  The  Apostle 
Paul  has  just  penned  that  glorious  song  of  vic- 
tory over  death  —  which  is  no  less  a  hymn  for 
being  found  embedded  in  prose.  He  has  given 
a  general  exhortation  to  faithfulness  as  an  in- 
ference from  the  doctrine  of  immortality,  and, 
without  any  such  break  as  would  be  indicated 
by  the  division  into  chapters,  he  urges  the  more 
specific  duty  of  collecting  money  for  a  partic- 
ular object. 

The  position  given  to  the  subject  here  well  il- 
lustrates the  standing  it  has  in  the  whole  Word 
of  God.  It  has  been  closely  associated  with 
many  of  the  most  important  events  in  the  history 
of  the  Church.  It  shines  in  their  light.  It  is  con- 


Sermons.  121 

nected  with  that  mysterious  King  of  Salem, 
who  is  used  us  a  type  of  the  Son  of  God,  to 
whom  Abraham  paid  tithes;  it  is  found  at  the 
foot  of  that  ladder  which  the  patriarch  saw 
reaching  up  to  the  sky  when  he  proclaimed  the 
place  "  the  gate  of  heaven,"  and  made  his  vow 
of  consecration  ;  it  accompanies  the  "  church  in 
the  wilderness,"  as  is  seen  in  the  bountiful  gifts 
for  the  first  house  of  worship  to  the  true  God; 
it  brings  joy  to  the  greatest  of  Israel's  kings  in 
his  closing  years  because  the  people  have  of- 
fered so  willingly,  and  adds  glory  to  Solomon 
as  he  builds  and  dedicates  the  temple ;  it  is  an 
important  part  of  the  worship  of  God  in  all  the 
offerings  and  sacrifices  of  the  old  economy. 
Nor  is  it  less  prominent  in  the  new.  It  is  con- 
nected with  the  birth  of  Christ  in  the  bringing 
of  the  wise  men's  gifts;  it  lends  assistance 
to  His  work  as  the  women  minister  to  Him  of 
their  substance;  it  anoints  His  body  beforehand 
for  the  burial  with  the  precious  alabaster  box  of 
ointment;  it  furnishes  a  new  tomb  for  Him 
when  dead,  and  spices  and  ointment  to  embalm 
Him;  it  has  an  important  place  in  His  final 
welcome  to  His  saints  — "  Come  ye  blessed  of 
my  Father,"  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful 
servant;  "  it  is  a  part  of  the  Pentecostal  bless- 
ing, when  the  disciples  had  all  things  common. 


122     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  IV.  Cochran. 

It  is  just  as  prominent  against  the  dark  back- 
ground of  Bible  sins  and  judgments.  The  sin 
of  our  first  parents,  the  first  murder,  the  sin 
of  Achan,  the  death  of  Ananias  and  Sapphira, 
the  betrayal  of  the  Son  of  God,  the  eternal 
doom  of  the  wicked — all  are  represented  as  the 
result  of  that  covetousness  and  selfishness 
which  has  manifested  itself  so  often  in  the  abuse 
or  misuse  of  property. 

Truly  a  subject  which  has  such  a  place  as  this 
in  the  Scriptures  and  in  human  destiny  ought 
to  be  prominent  in  our  thinking,  our  teaching, 
and  our  practice. 

In  regard  to  its  importance,  Dr.  Alex.  Duff 
wrote  as  follows  to  the  convener  of  the  com- 
mittee of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland  on  sys- 
tematic giving: 

"The  object  is  one  not  of  secondary  but  of 
primary  importance.  But  for  ages  it  has  been 
so  neglected  that  much  time  and  labor  and  faith 
and  patience,  with  the  accompanying  blessing 
of  God's  Holy  Spirit,  will  be  needed  to  work  it 
into  the  mind  and  heart  of  the  church  at  large. 
The  spirit  of  the  age  in  its  rampant  secularity 
and  luxuriousness  is  sadly  against  it.  But  that 
is  no  reason,  but  the  contrary,  for  strenuously 
persevering  in  the  good  work.  If  revivalism  is 
to  end  merely  in  a  spiritual  luxuriousness  and 
self-complacency  and  self- enjoyment,  though 


Sermons.  123 

of  a  decidedly  higher  kind  than  the  worldly  and 
the  carnal — it  will  only  prove  a  more  refined 
kind  of  selfishness,  the  very  opposite  of  the  out- 
going spirit — the  divinely  exemplified  spirit — 
of  self-denying  love.  Ah!  if  there  were  more 
of  this  divine  spirit  amongst  us,  soon  would  the 
object  of  your  committee  find  a  development 
and  enlargement  that  would  speedily  fill  the 
whole  earth  with  its  blessed  fruits.  Meanwhile, 
let  faith,  with  perseverance  and  prayer,  be  the 
motto. 

"  Yours  very  sincerely, 

"  Alexander  Duff." 

The  text  is  one  of  the  latest  utterances  of 
the  Word  of  God  on  the  subject  of  giving;  it  is 
the  fruit  of  all  God's  teaching  and  training  of 
His  people  on  this  subject;  it  is  the  thought  of 
the  greatest  apostle,  who  practiced  what  he 
preached;  and  it  is  practical;  it  not  only  re- 
veals principles,  but  shows  how  they  are  to  be 
applied. 

It  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  laying  down  by 
apostolic  authority  an  absolute  rule,  without 
which  there  can  be  no  true  giving.  If  this  were 
so,  many  of  the  noblest  gifts  in  the  history  of 
the  Church  must  be  considered  as  defective. 
The  rule  has  authority,  but  it  is  more  the  au- 
thority of  apostolic  example  than  of  apostolic 
ordinance. 


124     d.  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

It  was  an  apostolic  order  to  the  Corinthian 
Church.  The  word,  "I  have  given  order,"  is  a 
very  strong  one,  and  it  would  have  been  sin  for 
the  Corinthians  to  fail  to  observe  the  form  as 
well  as  the  substance  of  the  rule.  It  is  not  ac- 
cording to  the  spirit  of  the  gospel,  nor  the  cus- 
tom of  the  apostle,  to  prescribe  rules  and  meth- 
ods to  bind  the  consciences  of  the  saints.  We 
are  not  taught,  except  by  inference,  what  forms 
or  rites  or  modes  of  worship  should  be  observ- 
ed. Family  worship  is  nowhere  directly  com- 
manded, nor  the  times  of  private  devotion. 
Anyone  who  reads  the  eighth  and  ninth  chap- 
ters of  second  Corinthians  as  a  commentary  on 
this  passage  must  see  how  careful  the  apostle 
is  to  guard  the  individual  liberty  of  the  giver: 
"I  speak  not  by  commandment,  but  by  occa- 
sion of  the  forwardness  of  others,  and  to  prove 
the  sincerity  of  your  love."     (2  Cor.  viii.  8.) 

But  the  method  of  giving  here  indicated  has 
the  authority  of  apostolic  example,  and  when 
we  remember  that  some  of  the  most  important 
institutions  of  the  Christian  Church — the  Lord's 
day  and  infant  baptism — rest  upon  this  ground, 
such  example  should  bear  with  no  light  weight 
on  our  consciences. 

What  are  the  lessons,  then,  which  come  to  us, 
from  this  apostolic  direction,  to  many  of  the 


Sermons.  125 

churches  of  his  day,  as  to  the  principles  and 
practice  of  Christian  giving  ? 

I.  We  are  reminded  of  the  true  object  of  giv- 
ing. The  apostle  was  bringing  to  the  attention 
of  the  churches  the  needs  of  the  poor  saints  in 
Jerusalem.  To  help  them  was  a  matter  of  true 
benevolence  and  Christian  duty.  In  writing  to 
the  Romans,  Paul  says  that  the  Gentiles  are 
debtors  to  the  saints  in  Jerusalem  for  the  gos- 
pel. The  object  for  which  a  gift  is  bestowed 
affects  its  value  as  a  benevolent  act.  In  a  com- 
pany of  ministers,  some  of  them  prominent  in 
the  Church,  where  systematic  giving  was  the 
subject  of  discussion,  it  was  argued  by  some 
that  whatever  a  Christian  uses  for  the  supply  of 
his  own  need  is  really  used  for  God,  and  conse- 
crated to  Him,  that  whatever  he  spends  in  the 
education  of  his  children  is  given  to  God,  that 
ministers  having  given  their  life  and  time  to 
God,  are  not  bound  to  give  to  the  objects  of  be- 
nevolence. But  giving  ourselves,  our  families, 
our  services,  is  not  the  giving  contemplated 
here  and  elsewhere  in  the  Word  of  God  when 
benevolent  gifts  are  spoken  of.  Almsgiving, 
giving  to  the  poor,  or  to  those  that  need,  is  dis- 
tinctly separated  from  such  giving.  Christ 
recommended  a  different  giving  from  this  to 
the  rich  young  ruler  when   He  said,    "  Go  thy 


126     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

way,  sell  whatsoever  thou  hast,  and  give  to 
the  poor,  and  thou  shalt  have  treasure  in 
heaven."  It  is  a  different  giving  upon  which  the 
rewards  and  punishments  of  the  last  day  are 
based.  "  I  was  hungry,  and  ye  gave  me  meat, 
I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink."  This 
shows  us,  as  do  many  other  texts,  that  all  true 
giving  has  a  higher  object  than  man,  however 
needy;  it  is  giving  to  the  Lord.  "  He  that  giv- 
eth  to  the  poor,  lendeth  to  the  Lord."  "Honor 
the  Lord  with  thy  substance,"  etc. 

When  we  view  the  matter  in  this  light,  is  it 
possible  that  a  minister  can  be  relieved  of  the 
duty  or  deprived  of  the  privilege  of  giving?  Can 
he  shut  his  eyes  and  close  his  heart  against  the 
needs  of  the  poor  in  body  and  poor  in  soul  ? 
Has  he  nothing  for  the  heathen  or  the  freed- 
men  or  his  brethren  in  the  Lord  because  he  is 
working  for  the  Lord  more  than  other  men? 
His  work  is  not  all  gratuitous.  He  gains  some- 
thing by  his  labor  on  which  God  and  his  fel- 
low-man have  a  claim.  The  love  which  has 
led  him  to  consecrate  his  life  to  Christ  should 
lead  him  to  give  more  freely  than  others.  It 
was  so  with  Christ.  What  property  had  He? 
None  but  what  He  wore,  and  what  the  traitor 
carried  in  the  common  bag.  What  did  He 
leave?     Nothing  but  the  vesture  on  which  they 


Sermons.  127 

cast  lots.  The  great  apostle  to  the  Gentiles 
labored  with  his  own  hands,  that  he  might  not 
be  chargeable  to  the  poor  churches.  He  laid 
by  nothing  and  left  nothing. 

The  ministry  generally  are  not  negligent  in 
this  matter.  There  is  no  class  of  Christians 
that  gives  more  in  proportion  to  their  means, 
But  there  are  exceptions,  and  it  is  of  such  vital 
importance  to  our  benevolent  work  that  the 
ministers  should  lead  the  people  by  example  as 
well  as  by  precept,  that  the  matter  ought  to  be 
impressed  on  those  who  will  soon  be  pastors 
and  preachers. 

It  is  well  to  observe,  under  this  head,  that  there 
is  a  difference  between  giving  to  the  support  of 
the  ministry  and  giving  to  the  benevolent  work 
of  the  church.  The  former  is  not  pure  benevo- 
lence. The  ministry  have  a  claim,  in  justice, 
on  the  ground  of  service  rendered;  the  people 
receive  a  return  for  what  is  given  to  them.  This 
distinction  ought  to  be  kept  before  the  people, 
that  they  may  feel  more  strongly  the  obliga- 
tion to  support  the  ministry,  and  may  realize 
how  small  are  their  gifts  to  benevolence. 

II.  The  apostle  teaches  us  here  what  should 
be  the  character  of  Christian  giving: 

1.  It  should  be  spiritual.  This  is  suggested 
by  associating  it  with  the  first  day  of  the  week. 


128     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

Chrysostom  says:  "  Mark  how  he  exhorts  them 
in  regard  to  time,  for  truly  the  day  itself  was 
sufficient  to  lead  them  to  almsgiving.  'Where- 
fore call  to  mind,'  he  says,  '  to  what  ye  attain- 
ed upon  this  day.  All  unspeakable  blessings, 
and  that  event  which  is  the  root  and  beginning 
of  our  life,  are  connected  with  the  day.'  Fur- 
ther, the  occasion  is  suitable  for  the  exercise  of 
zealous  benevolence,  inasmuch  as  it  gives  rest 
and  relief  from  toil,  and  the  spirit  thus  set  free 
is  more  disposed  to  show  mercy;  and  then  the 
partaking  of  the  communion,  with  its  vast  and 
great  mysteries,  itself  inspires  a  spirit  of  great 
zeal." 

We  have  only  to  look  again  at  2  Cor.  viii.  7, 
to  see  what  spiritual  truths  and  exercises  are 
connected  with  this  matter  of  giving.  It  is  call- 
ed there  a  "  grace,"  and  those  who  neglect  or 
slight  it  lose  an  important  means  of  grace,  as 
those  do  who  slight  the  reading  of  the  Word,  or 
attendance  on  the  social  prayer-meeting.  The 
highest  Christian  motive  is  appealed  to  in 
urging  it,  "  Ye  know  the  grace  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ "  (v.  9).  He  speaks  of  the  money 
contributed  as  "this  grace  which  is  administer- 
ed by  us  to  the  glory  of  the  same  Lord  "  (v.  19). 

The  giving  of  money  is  frequently  associated 
with  prayer  in  the  Scriptures,  as  in  the  case  of 


Sermons.  1 29 

Cornelius:  "Thy  prayers  and  thine  alms  have 
come  up  for  a  memorial  before  God."  We 
should  ever  remember  without  God's  blessing 
on  the  gift  it  will  accomplish  nothing.  Laying 
by  in  store  and  treasuring  may  also  remind  us 
of  Christ's  words  about  laying  up  treasure  in 
heaven.  We  need  to  give,  then,  and  to  teach 
others  to  do  so,  for  its  blessing  on  the  soul  of 
the  giver.  We  need  to  give  with  thoughtfulness 
and  prayer  and  faith.  The  mere  bestowing  in 
charity  of  a  gift,  however  large,  is  not  true  giv- 
ing, any  more  than  the  mere  addressing  of 
eloquent  words  to  God  is  praying. 

2.  Christian  giving  should  be  thoughtful  and 
deliberate.  The  apostle  advises  to  "lay  by  in 
store"  when  there  is  time  for  consideration,  that 
the  money  might  be  ready  when  he  arrived. 
He  did  not  propose  to  do,  as  so  many  ministers 
do  in  our  modern  churches,  to  state  suddenly 
without  giving  notice  beforehand,  that  a  collec- 
tion would  be  taken  up  for  the  poor  Jews.  He 
gave  them  time  to  think  about  the  object  and 
about  their  own  means.  There  should  be,  in 
every  church,  some  plan  of  collection  which 
would  accomplish  the  same  end.  People  should 
know  at  the  beginning  of  each  year  the  main 
objects  to  which  they  are  expected  to  give.  If 
they  do,  they  can  readily  inform  themselves  as 


130     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

to  the  needs  of  the  various  causes.  But  pastors 
should  not  rely  upon  their  doing  so,  but  give 
them  from  the  pulpit  information  of  all  the 
benevolent  work  of  the  church.  As  Dr.  Hall 
says,  in  his  lectures  to  the  Rochester  students, 
"We  have  no  right  to  dictate  to  men  that  they 
should  give  to  an  object  by  simply  announcing 
a  collection,  without  explaining  the  needs  of 
the  cause."  He  tells  of  some  church  where 
cards  are  sometimes  put  into  the  collection 
plate  with  the  amount  of  the  donor's  gift,  that 
on  one  occasion  one  of  the  large  givers  was  seen 
to  alter  the  sum  on  his  card  from  $500  to  $1,000 
as  his  pastor  explained  the  need. 

But  in  order  that  we  may  instruct  others,  we 
must  be  well  informed  in  regard  to  the  benev- 
olent work  of  the  church  ourselves. 

Young  men,  it  is  worthy  of  your  study.  It 
relates  to  matters  of  the  deepest  interest,  both 
to  God  and  man.  Do  not  forget  nor  pass  it  by 
in  your  many  occupations  here.  You  have  al- 
ready shown  your  interest  in  the  progress  of 
Christ's  kingdom  in  foreign  lands  in  the  inter- 
seminary  alliance.  But  the  other  departments 
of  our  church  work  deserve  attention  also. 
Patriotism  and  religion  combine  in  the  Home 
Mission  and  Freedmen's  causes  to  plead  for  our 
study.    The  Sustentation  cause,  which  has  such 


Sermons.  1 3 1 

important  relations  to  ministerial  support, which 
has  been  successful  in  Scotland,  which  was  be- 
gun in  our  church  under  such  advocates  as  Dr. 
Charles  Hodge,  Dr.  McCosh,  and  Dr.  Jacobus, 
needs  to  be  sustained  by  new  assistance,  or  it 
will  die  altogether.  Nor  is  there  one  of  our 
church  causes  that  does  not  suggest  food  for 
deep  thought  and  earnest  interest.  Let  us  learn 
to  give,  then,  as  thinking,  reasonable  beings. 

3.  Giving  should  be  individual.  "  Let  every- 
one lay  by  Him  in  store."  Everyone  should 
have  the  privilege  and  feel  the  responsibility  of 
giving.  God  deals  with  men  as  individuals. 
"  Everyone  of  us  shall  give  account  of  himself 
to  God"  —  the  slothful  servant  who  "  hid  his 
lord's  money,"  as  well  as  the  one  who  doubled 
his  talents.  No  one  can  repent  or  believe  for 
you  and  me,  and  no  one  can  give  for  you  and 
me.  No  one  can  appreciate  for  another  the 
blessedness  of  forgiveness,  and  no  one  can  en- 
joy for  another  the  blessedness  of  giving.  The 
apostle  has  this  in  view  when  he  recommends 
that  everyone  "  lay  by  him  in  store."  This 
is  more  emphatic  in  the  original  where  the  ex- 
pression is  by  himself.  It  is  indicated  appar- 
ently that  there  should  be  a  home  treasury,  and 
not  merely  a  church  one.  At  least  it  has  been 
so  understood  by  most  commentators.     This  is 


132     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

Chrysostom's  comment :  "  The  apostle  does 
not  say, '  Let  him  bring  it  into  the  church,'  lest 
he  might  feel  ashamed  of  the  sum  ;  but  hav- 
ing by  gradual  additions  swelled  his  contribu- 
tion, 'let  him  produce  it  when  I  come;  for  the 
present  lay  it  up  at  home,  and  make  thine  own 
house  a  church,  and  thy  little  box  a  treasury. 
Become  thyself  a  guardian  of  consecrated  wealth 
— a  self-ordained  steward  of  the  poor.  Thy 
charitable  mind  entitles  thee  to  this  priesthood.' 
Let  us  make  a  little  chest  for  the  poor  at 
home.  Near  the  place  where  you  stand  pray- 
ing, there  let  it  be  put  ;  and  as  often  as  you 
enter  in  to  pray,  first  deposit  your  alms  and 
then  send  up  your  prayer.  You  would  not  wish 
to  pray  with  unclean  hands,  so  neither  do  it 
without  alms.  If  you  have  this  little  treasury, 
you  have  a  defence  against  the  devil.  You  give 
wings  to  your  prayer.  You  make  your  house 
sacred,  having  provision  for  the  king  laid  up 
there  in  store."  (Homily,  xvi.  1  Cor.  I.)  If  there 
were  more  such  treasuries,  there  would  be  more 
giving  or  less  praying.  Mr.  Ross,  who  did  a 
great  deal  for  this  cause  in  Ireland,  tells  us  of  a 
certain  elder  with  a  great  gift  in  prayer,  but  in- 
clined to  be  narrow,  who  attended  one  of  his 
meetings  and  became  convinced  that  whatever 
he  gave  he  ought   first    to  pray  over.     Being 


Sermons.  133 

more  than  a  mere  professor,  the  next  Sabbath 
he  took  the  amount  he  usually  gave  and  tried 
to  pray  over  it,  but  could  not — doubled  it,  and 
still  could  not  ;  and  it  was  not  until  he  had 
increased  it  fourfold  that  he  felt  he  could  hon- 
estly lay  it  at  the  feet  of  his  Saviour. 

How  many  Christians  are  there,  how  many 
are  there  here  who  thus  consecrate  their  gifts 
by  prayer?  At  our  tables  we  ask  God  to  bless 
His  gifts  to  us  ;  should  we  not  ask  Him  to  bless 
what  He  gives  through  us  to  others? 

Let  us  not  make  exceptions  where  God  has 
not  made  them.  Should  the  poor  give?  Re- 
member the  widow's  mite.  Should  those  de- 
pendent on  church  support  give?  Christ  and 
His  apostles  lived  by  voluntary  gifts,  and  they 
remembered  the  poor.  Should  the  minister 
give  to  the  church  for  which  he  is  laboring? 
Remember  how  Christ  paid  the  temple  tax. 
Should  women  give?  Let  the  women  of  the 
gospels  and  the  noble  women  of  our  own  day 
answer.  Should  children  give?  Yes,  if  we  would 
teach  them  to  obey  and  practice  God's  com- 
mands. 

If  we  could  only  secure  this  universal,  indi- 
vidual, spiritual  giving,  how  blessed  would  be 
the  results — not  only  to  the  receivers,  but  to 
the  givers.  Wherever  it  has  been  accomplished 


134     A   Memorial  of  Rev.  L  W.  Cochran. 

in  any  measure,  surprising  fruits  have  been 
seen. 

Perhaps  the  two  most  remarkable  churches 
of  modern  times,  for  their  success  under  difficul- 
ties and  their  rapid  growth,  have  been  the  Free 
Church  of  Scotland  and  the  Methodist  Church. 
In  the  former  Dr.  Chalmers  devised  a  plan  for 
weekly  contributions,  and  a  deacon  and  elder 
were  appointed  for  each  district  to  superintend 
the  work  of  the  collectors  or  to  go  with  them. 
Sometimes  the  deacon  was  a  collector.  It  would 
be  well  to  revive  this  office  in  our  own  churches, 
and  use  our  deacons  to  help  forward  in  each 
congregation  the  benevolent  work  of  the  church. 
As  to  the  result  in  the  Free  Church,  Dr.  Chal- 
mers says:  "  The  tendency  is  to  elevate  the  plat- 
form of  humble  life;  and  the  effect  of  its  pay- 
ments, so  far  from  being  to  impoverish  or 
depress,  is,  through  the  medium  of  character  and 
principle,  or  by  the  elastic  operation  of  moral 
causes,  to  raise  and  uphold  our  people  in  a  far 
higher  economic  status." 

This  effort  to  secure  gifts  from  each  individ- 
ual was  the  origin  of  the  "  class  "  system  in  the 
M.  E.  Church.  The  local  church  was  divided 
into  sections,  and  assigned  to  a  leader  to  collect 
gifts  from  each.  Afterward  Wesley  saw  that 
the  method  would  be  a  good  one  for  training 
in  all  departments  of  Christian  work. 


Sermons.  135 

Let  everyone  of  us  here  examine  his  own 
practice  in  this  matter  and  resolve  to  correct 
what  has  been  inconsistent  with  the  high  stand- 
ard and  beneficial  method  of  giving  laid  down 
here. 

4.  Giving  has  its  social  and  public  as  well  as 
its  individual  side.  There  has  been  a  difference 
among  commentators  as  to  whether  the  apostle 
intended  that  the  gifts  here  referred  to  should 
be  laid  up  at  home  or  brought  to  the  church 
treasury.  Dr.  Hodge,  contrary  to  most  mod- 
ern writers,  takes  the  latter  view.  He  thinks 
that  this  is  implied  by  the  mention  of  the  day 
of  public  worship,  by  the  use  of  the  word  "  lay- 
ing by  in  store  "  (or  "  treasuring  "  literally)  and 
by  the  object  of  the  apostle's  direction,  that 
there  should  be  no  gathering  when  He  came. 
Whatever  may  be  the  truth  about  this  passage, 
it  is  certain  that  the  offering  of  gifts  for  the 
poor  has  always  been  a  part  of  Christian  wor- 
ship. When  we  regard  these  gifts  in  the  true 
light  as  offered  to  God,  we  are  reminded  that 
such  offering  in  public  has  been  the  universal 
custom  of  worshipers,  Pagan,  Jewish,  and  Chris- 
tian. This  is  recognized  as  a  part  of  worship 
in  the  New  Testament  and  in  nothing  more 
strikingly  than  in  the  use  of  the  word  "com- 
munion."     Dr.    Addison    Alexander    says    of 


136     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

it  in  his  Commentary  011  Acts  (11.  42),  where 
it  is  rendered  'fellowship:'  "We  may  under- 
stand the  historian  as  saying  that  the  infant 
church  was  constantly  engaged  in  mutual  com- 
munion, both  by  joint  repasts  and  sacramental 
feasts  and  charitable  distribution.  This  last  is, 
in  actual  usage,  the  prevailing  application  of 
the  word  in  the  New  Testament.  (Rom.  xv. 
26  ;  2  Cor.  viii.  4  ;  ix.  13  ;  Heb.  xiii.  16)  He 
adds  it  was  at  their  social  meals  that  the  Eu- 
charist was  administered  and  their  charities 
dispensed." 

There  is  a  striking  use  of  the  verb,  which  has 
the  same  root,  in  Hebrews,  where  is  is  said,  "  To 
do  good  and  to  communicate,  forget  not."  It 
could  be  easily  shown  that  the  early  church  look- 
ed upon  such  gifts  as  a  part  of  worship.  Our  own 
directory  for  worship  recognizes  this,  but  makes 
a  bare  mention  of  it;  and  the  General  Assembly's 
Committee  on  Systematic  Benevolence  has  be- 
fore it  a  proposition,  through  an  overture  from 
the  Presbytery  of  Cleveland,  committed  to  it  by 
the  last  assembly,  to  amend  the  directory  by 
fuller  statements  on  this  subject.  Practically, 
while  the  collection  is  usually  taken  at  the 
time  of  worship,  it  is  by  no  means  generally 
regarded  as  a  part  of  the  worship,  but  is  taken 
in  a  formal,  careless  way.     Are  we  not  thus 


Sermons.  1 37 

losing-  a  public  means  of  grace  as  well  as  a  pri- 
vate one  ? 

Dr.  Taylor,  of  New  York,  says  on  this  subject 
in  a  recent  sermon,  "  The  making  of  contribu- 
tions for  benevolence,  in  every  form  of  it  in 
which  the  Church  is  engaged,  is  as  really  a 
communion  service  as  is  the  observance  of  the 
Lord's  Supper.  The  same  word  is  used  in  ref- 
erence to  both;  and  both  alike  are  manifesta- 
tions of  the  oneness  of  all  the  people  of  Christ 
in  their  common  Lord."  We  can  readily  see 
that  this  public  worship  by  offerings  to  God  will 
help  the  private  setting  apart,  as  public  prayer 
helps  private  prayer.  Would  it  not  be  wise  to 
make  this  a  part  of  the  worship  where  it  has 
not  been  made  so,  or  where  it  has  been  discon- 
tinued ?  Would  it  not  be  well  to  accompany 
the  public  collection  of  offerings  by  special 
prayer,  or  by  the  reading  of  Scripture,  that  the 
worshiper  may  be  in  a  proper  frame  to  give  ? 
Might  there  not  be  wisdom  in  bringing  to  this 
house  of  prayer  the  money  you  contribute,  in 
having  sermons  preached  by  these  faithful 
teachers  on  the  benevolent  work  of  the  Church, 
and  in  here  praying  for  God's  blessing  on  the 
gift  as  well  as  on  the  work  ? 

III.  But  the  apostle  not  only  indicates  the 
character  of  Christian  giving  here,  he  brings  out 


138     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

principles  as  to  method.  These  two  things  are 
very  closely  related,  and  the  method  has  already 
been  brought  out  plainly.  But  we  may  say 
further  that  it  is: 

1.  Systematic.  If  there  were  no  directions  for 
systematic  giving  in  God's  Word,  ought  we  not, 
as  reasonable  creatures,  of  our  own  accord  to 
introduce  system  in  this  important  matter  ?  We 
feel  the  benefit  of  system  everywhere  else — in 
our  families,  in  our  business,  in  our  studies,  in 
our  church  worship.  Why  should  we  not  here  ? 
We  have  a  great  system  for  spending  money, 
how  foolish  if  we  have  no  system  for  bringing  it 
in  !  We  shall  be  like  a  great  city  with  an  elab- 
orate arrangement  of  water  pipes  and  reserv- 
oirs, without  the  water.  That  water  comes  not 
from  the  pipes  and  reservoirs,  not  from  the 
natural  or  artificial  lakes  from  which  it  is  drawn, 
nor  from  the  brooks  and  rivers  that  flow  into 
these,  but  from  the  tiny  springs  that  gush  con- 
stantly from  the  feet  of  trees,  and  from  under 
mossy  rocks  in  hidden  places  in  the  woods, 
where  man's  eye  seldom  or  never  sees  them. 
They  never  cease  flowing  because  they  come 
from  the  depths  beneath  and  the  heights  above. 
But  they  would  never  reach  the  parched  lips  of 
the  city  worker  and  sufferer  without  a  system. 
So  this  system  of  apostolic  giving  aims  to  bring 


Senna  us.  139 

the  spring  of  faith  and  love  in  every  believer's 
soul — fed  from  deep  experiences  on  earth,  rained 
down  into  the  soul  from  heaven — into  contact 
with  those  who  are  perising  for  the  water  of  life. 

2.  Periodical  and  frequent  giving  is  indicated 
here.  A  great  financier  said,  in  reply  to  a  ques- 
tion as  to  how  the  means  were  to  be  raised  for 
the  work  of  the  Church  in  her  war  with  sin,  "The 
first  thing  to  be  secured,"  said  he,  emphatically, 
"is  periodicity."  This  forms  habit,  and  habit 
becomes  second  nature,  or  if  it  is  a  gracious 
habit,  we  might  say  second  grace.  It  makes 
the  giving  easy  and  pleasant.  Frequent  giving 
is  good  for  the  giver  and  good  for  the  cause  of 
Christ.  Objection  is  sometimes  made  that 
there  are  such  frequent  calls  to  give.  But  if 
these  calls  are  divine  calls,  we  should  be  glad 
to  hear  them,  and  if  we  are  laying  aside  fre- 
quently, we  shall  always  have  something  to 
give,  and  shall  do  it  cheerfully.  By  this  method 
the  poor  are  able  to  give  more  readily  and  to  a 
far  larger  amount. 

Frequent  giving  which  regularly  reached  its 
object  would  greatly  help  our  benevolent  work. 
More  than  one-half  of  what  is  given  to  our 
Boards  is  received  by  them  during  the  last  three 
months  of  the  year.  They  are  like  those  coun- 
tries   which    have    a    wet    season    and    a   dry. 


140     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

Through  a  large  part  of  the  year  they  are 
parched.  How  much  more  pleasant  is  the 
land  refreshed  by  frequent  rains! 

3.  Giving  should  be  proportionate — "as  the 
Lord  hath  prospered  him."  Dr.  Hodge  says, 
"  literally,  '  whatever  has  gone  well  with  him.'  " 
Every  man  is  to  give  as  he  has  received.  Our 
Lord  states  the  principle  broadly,  "  Freely  ye 
have  received,  freely  give."  If  we  look  at  the 
subject  in  this  light,  if  we  consider  God's  gifts 
to  us  in  providence  and  grace,  any  arithmet- 
ical proportion  seems  insignificant  and  absurd. 
What  proportion  of  your  means  would  you  give 
for  your  life  if  it  was  in  danger  ?  What  pro- 
portion for  your  wife  and  family  ?  What  pro- 
portion for  salvation  ?  What  for  eternal  life  ? 
Yet  these  are  the  thoughts  which  the  apostle 
brings  into  view  when  urging  this  subject  in 
his  second  epistle.  "  Ye  know  the  grace  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

But  because  we  can  give  no  adequate  pro- 
portion to  what  we  have  received,  shall  we 
therefore  do  nothing  ?  Surely  that  is  worse 
than  to  give  a  little.  Let  us  rather  make  the 
proportion  of  our  gifts  as  large  as  possible. 

The  Word  of  God,  reason,  and  experience  in- 
dicate that  it  is  wise  to  have  a  fixed  proportion 
in  giving.     What  we   give    must    bear  a  pro- 


Sermons.  141 

portion  to  our  income  and  expenditures — is  it 
not  wise  and  right  to  determine  beforehand 
what  proportion  that  shall  be  ?  Then  we  shall 
know  what  we  can  spend  and  what  we  can  give. 
That  the  tithe  is  to  be  the  measure  for  those 
who  live  under  the  gospel,  I  do  not  believe. 
The  single  tithe  is  nowhere  ordained  as  a 
measure  in  the  Scriptures,  the  Jews  gave  two 
tithes  every  year,  and  with  all  their  offerings,  a 
third,  or  some  have  estimated,  a  half,  of  their 
income.  The  same  measure  for  all  is  unfair  to 
the  poor;  the  laboring  man  tithes  really  his 
principal  in  this  method,  the  capitalist  his  in- 
come. Some  business  men  have  no  profits,  and 
therefore  no  incomes,  in  some  years;  the  system 
does  not  affect  extravagance  in  living  after  the 
tenth  is  paid;  it  interferes  with  the  liberty  of 
the  gospel — a  liberty  to  love  more,  to  work 
more,  and  to  give  more  than  under  the  law. 

The  teaching  of  Christ  is  that  we  must  give 
whether  we  have  income  or  not.  He  calls  alms 
"righteousness."  "Sell  that  ye  have  and 
give  alms."  He  represents  us  as  stewards,  and 
the  question  for  us  to  determine  is  not,  How 
much  ought  I  to  give  ?  but,  How  much  may  I 
keep  ?  Such  was  the  feeling  of  that  noble  man, 
James  Lenox,  to  whom  this  seminary  is  so 
much  indebted.    When  he  came  into  his  father's 


142     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

property  he  determined  to  give  away  nine- 
tenths  of  his  income  of  $100,000  and  keep  one- 
tenth  for  himself.  He  afterward  increased  the 
proportion  as  his  property  increased;  and,  we 
are  informed  on  good  authority,  gave  away  for 
forty  years  $200,000  per  year. 

But  though  the  tithe  measure  may  not  be  the 
gospel  standard,  there  is  some  reason  for  the 
prominence  given  to  tithing  in  the  Scriptures. 
We  are  taught  by  it  to  set  apart  for  God  sys- 
tematically, and  before  we  use  for  ourselves,  a 
certain  stated  portion  of  our  property.  This  is 
implied  in  what  the  apostle  says  here.  If  we 
think  of  the  tithe  at  all,  therefore,  let  it  be  simply 
the  starting-point  in  our  giving. 

If  there  were  time,  we  could  give  abundant 
testimony  of  the  benefits  of  proportionate  giv- 
ing. Spurgeon  says  of  himself:  "  I  knew  a  lad 
in  Christ  once  who  adopted  the  principle  of  giv- 
ing a  tenth  to  God.  When  he  won  a  money 
prize  for  an  essay  on  a  religions  subject,  he  felt 
that  he  could  not  give  less  than  one-fifth  of  it. 
He  has  never  since  been  able  to  deny  himself 
the  pleasure  of  having  a  fifth  to  give.  God  has 
wonderfully  blessed  that  lad,  and  increased  his 
means,  and  his  enjoyment  of  that  luxury  of  lux- 
uries— the  luxury  of  doing  good." 

If  time  permitted,  we  could  readily  show  that 


Sermons.  143 

blessings  temporal  and  blessings  spiritual,  bene- 
fits to  the  giver  and  benefits  to  the  cause  of 
Christ,  have  resulted  from  the  principles  here 
indicated. 

Young  men,  I  commend  them  to  the  consid- 
eration and  practice  of  every  one  of  you.  I  know 
you  are  not  unmindful  of  the  benevolent  work 
of  the  Church,  and  the  standard  which  you  reach 
in  your  gifts  is  higher  than  that  of  the  Church 
at  large.  But  in  looking  over  a  report  read 
when  I  was  secretary  of  the  Religious  Contribu- 
tion Society,  in  1864,  I  find  that  the  amount 
given  was  $652,  nearly  $200  more  than  was 
given  last  year.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  uni- 
versal practice  of  systematic  and  proportionate 
giving  would  largely  increase  your  gifts. 

What  we  all  need,  that  we  may  perform  aright 
this  and  every  other  work  for  God  and  our  fel- 
low-men, is  more  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  When 
the  spring  is  full  it  must  run  over,  and  it  is 
wonderful  how  much  water  one  spring  will  give. 
I  saw  one,  on  the  hottest  day  last  summer,  from 
which  a  pailful  could  hardly  be  dipped  at  once, 
supply  the  wants  of  a  thirsty  Sabbath-school 
party  of  a  hundred  or  so.  Streams  of  living 
water  shall  flow  from  him  who  has  the  Spirit. 
"  As  he  abounds  in  faith  and  utterance  and 
knowledge  and  all  diligence.  ...  he  will 
abound  in  this  grace  also." 


ONE    THING    IS    NEEDFUL. 

"One  thing  is  needful."    Luke   x.  42. 

The  age  in  which  we  live  has  special  need 
for  the  teaching  of  this  passage.  It  is  a  time 
of  intense  activity  in  every  department  of 
human  life.  Never  before  was  commerce  so 
large,  for  never  before  were  its  channels  so  broad 
and  smooth.  Never  were  there  such  manu- 
factures, for  never  before  was  there  such  ma- 
chinery and  motive  power.  The  inventions,  the 
discoveries,  the  educational  advantages,  the 
books,  the  newspapers,  the  art  products,  show 
how  busy  men  are  in  the  sphere  of  mind.  The 
churches,  the  Sabbath-schools,  the  societies 
for  charity  and  reform,  prove  the  claims  for 
moral  and  religious  work.  It  seems  impossible 
not  to  be  ''careful  and  troubled  about  many 
things  "  if  we  try  to  perform  the  duties  which 
naturally  arise,  and  rightly  use  the  talents  and 
opportunities  which  the  Master  gives.  Yet  the 
truth  announced  by  Christ  was  meant  for  every 
age,  and  we  shall  be  helped  by  trying  to  apply 
it  to  ourselves. 

It  would  be  absurd  to  infer  from  it  that  we 
ought  to  regret  the  many  calls  upon  our  time 
144 


Sermons.  145 

and  labor  which  have  come  through  man's  im- 
provement. We  need  not  wish  to  become 
savage  again,  to  be  contented  with  one  garment, 
one  room,  one  blanket,  one  dish,  one  occupa- 
tion. Savages  have  plenty  of  time  on  their 
hands,  but  how  do  they  spend  it  ?  They  have 
but  few  wants,  but  what  are  they  ?  They  have 
simplified  their  lives  by  making  simple  their 
natures.  They  are  animals,  not  men.  Do 
those  who  sigh  that  former  times  were  better 
than  these  want  to  go  back  to  this  ?  Nor 
should  the  truth  taught  here  lead  us  to  a  false 
economy,  to  which  there  may  be  a  temptation 
in  these  times.  "  Farmers  do  not  live  as  they 
used  to,"  is  a  remark  which  we  often  hear. 
No,  and  I,  for  one,  am  glad  of  it.  I  rejoice  at 
everything  which  tends  to  improve  men,  and  I 
am  sure  that  increasing  the  comforts,  and 
especially  the  opportunies  for  mental  develop- 
ment, has  this  tendency.  There  has  been  much 
extravagance.  Men  have  no  right  to  go  into 
debt  for  things  which  are  not  necessary,  espe- 
cially when  they  do  not  see  clearly  how  the 
debt  is  to  be  paid.  But  let  us  beware  of  that 
false  economy  which  defeats  itself.  The  work- 
man would  be  foolish  to  live  so  meagrely  as  to 
unfit  him  for  labor.  Any  man  is  foolish  to  de- 
prive himself  and  his  family  of  advantages  for 


146     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

intellectual    and    spiritual    improvement,  if  he 
can  by  any  means  afford  them. 

We  must  be  careful  to  distinguish,  however, 
between  what  is  necessary  and  important,  and 
what  we  are  better  without.  There  has  been 
as  much  extravagance  in  the  wrong  use  of 
money  as  in  using  too  much.  The  principle 
laid  down  in  the  text  will  guide  us  here.  Most 
commentators  take  the  view  that  our  Lord,  in 
speaking  of  the  "one  thing,"  intended  to  con- 
trast it  with  the  "many"  things  that  Martha 
was  anxious  to  prepare  for  His  entertainment, 
as  if  He  meant  one  dish  is  sufficient.  However 
this  may  be,  there  is  no  doubt  that  He  who 
"  had  not  where  to  lay  His  head,"  in  order  that 
human  homes  might  be  happier,  would  have 
gladly  gone  without  food  for  the  body  alto- 
gether, if  He  might  bring  the  "  one  thing  need- 
ful "  to  the  soul.  He  often  did  this ;  as  when,  at 
the  well  of  Samaria,  He  said  to  His  disciples, 
"  I  have  meat  to  eat  that  ye  know  not  of;  " 
when  He  taught  the  thousands  through  the 
day,  and,  when  it  was  over,  inquired  for  food  for 
them,  and  not  for  Himself;  when  He  fasted  for 
forty  days,  that  He  might  attend  to  what  was 
more  needful  than  bodily  wants. 

There  is,  on  the  whole,  little  danger  of  our 
neglecting     the    good    things    which    our   day 


Sermons :  147 

brings  to  us.  There  is  much  more  fear  that,  in 
its  many  cares  and  comforts,  we  should  forget 
the  "  one  thing  needful." 

Let  us  inquire:  I.  What  is  the  "  one  thing 
needful  "  ?  II.  How  may  we  get  it  ?  III.  What 
are  the  hindrances  to  our  securing  it  ? 

I.  What  is  meant  by  the  ''one  thing  need- 
ful "  ? 

I  remark,  in  the  first  place  :  it  is  that  which  is 
necessary  to  the  existence  of  anything,  with- 
out which  it  would  not  be,  or  would  not  be 
what  it  is.  Matter  is  needful  for  a  tree.  It 
could  not  exist  without  it.  Life  is  necessary  as 
well.  It  might  have  the  proper  form,  but  it  could 
not  do  the  work  of  a  tree,  produce  leaves  and 
wood  and  fruit,  without  life.  But  life  in  the 
tree  has  certain  peculiarities  which  give  charac- 
ter to  the  tree.  Why  is  it  a  tree,  and  not  the 
lowly  violet  ?  Why  a  tree,  and  not  an  animal? 
Why  a  pear-tree,  and  not  a  peach  ?  There 
must  be  something  in  it  to  cause  these  dif- 
ferences. If  we  could  find  it,  we  should  have 
the  one  thing  needful  for  that  particular  tree. 
What  makes  man  what  he  is  ?  It  is  not  life, 
nor  reason  ;  for  animals  have  these  in  a  lower 
degree.  There  is  something  which  he  has  that 
they  do  not  possess.  He  has  a  conscience,  a 
moral    nature,    he    knows    right    from    wrong. 


148     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

Some  argue  that  animals  are  not  devoid  of 
moral  qualities.  We  know  what  a  vicious 
horse  is,  and  he  sometimes  seems  to  know  it 
himself.  But  man  has  a  spiritual  nature  which 
has  never  been  claimed  for  the  animals.  They 
never  have  any  intelligent,  conscious  thought 
of  God.  He  is  the  One  Thing  Needful  to  the 
universe,  who  "  spake  and  it  was  done,  who 
commanded,  and  it  stood  fast,"  without  whom 
there  could  be  no  order,  no  beauty,  no  power, 
no  matter,  no  mind,  no  life.  "In  Him  we  live 
and  move  and  have  our  being."  To  deny  God 
is  to  murder  the  universe,  to  commit  intel- 
lectual and  moral  and  spiritual  suicide.  The 
man,  therefore,  who  has  not  God  ceases  to  be  a 
man.     To  be  godly  is  to  be  manly. 

The  one  thing  needful  for  anything  is  that 
which  will  meet  its  needs.  The  plant  needs  air 
and  light  and  rain.  The  animal  needs  food  and 
drink  and  exercise.  If  there  is  any  one  thing 
which  will  supply  these  wants,  it  is  the  needful 
thing  for  the  plant  and  the  animal.  The  wants 
of  the  lower  orders  of  creation  are  met  in  man. 
His  kind  but  firm  rule  subdues  its  rough  and 
rugged  forces.  He  makes  the  desert  to  blossom 
as  the  rose.  By  his  hand  the  earth  clothes 
herself  with  the  varied  garments  of  the  grains, 
instead  of  the  plain  robes  of  forest  and  of  grass. 


Sermons.  149 

Fruit  trees  so  improve  under  his  culture  that 
the  crab-apple  becomes  the  large,  luscious  pip- 
pin. Flowers  in  new  forms,  with  new  beauties, 
repay  his  tender  care.  Animals  so  develop 
under  his  direction  that  it  is  hard  to  believe 
they  belong  to  the  same  stock  with  those  who 
have  not  received  attention.  To  the  creatures 
below  him  man  is,  by  divine  appointment  and 
constitution,  something  like  a  god.  There  is 
One,  and  only  One,  who  can  do  for  him  what 
man  does  for  them.  He  can  make  the  barren 
heart  fruitful,  He  can  clothe  the  soul  with  new 
beauties,  so  that  we  shall  see  such  contrasts  as 
there  were  between  the  Bechuanas  of  Africa 
and  the  Moffat  who  elevated  them.  He  can 
cause  new  graces  to  flower  out  with  wonderful 
beauty  and  perfume  in  the  life.  He  can  renew 
the  whole  man  in  the  image  of  His  Son,  so  that 
he  can  hardly  be  recognized  as  belonging  to 
the  ruined  race  of  Adam. 

All  man's  needs  are  met  in  God.  His  inquir- 
ing mind  finds  in  Him  the  best  answer  to  the 
many  problems  in  the  universe  and  in  his  own 
destiny,  which  have  vexed  philosophers  in  all 
ages.  How  did  all  these  things  come  into  be- 
ing? Why  is  there  so  much  beauty  and  order 
in  them?  Where  is  man  from,  and  what  is  he, 
and  where  is  he  going  ?     An  aged  Saxon  said, 


150     A   Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

when  the  question  of  receiving  the  first  mission- 
aries into  England  was  under  discussion:  "As 
we  were  talking,  I  saw  a  little  bird  fly  into  the 
room.  It  stayed  awhile  and  then  flew  out  again. 
I  am  that  bird;  I  came  out  of  darkness,  I  am 
going  into  the  dark  again."  There  is  One  who 
has  said,  "He  that  followeth  Me  shall  not 
walk  in  darkness,  but  shall  have  the  light  of 
life."  Man  is  a  social  being.  He  needs  some 
one  to  love,  some  one  with  whom  he  can  hold 
fellowship.  He  has  his  friends,  but  they  cannot 
be  always  with  him;  death  or  distance  may 
divide  him  from  them.  They  cannot  always 
help  him,  or  enter  fully  into  his  feelings,  or  un- 
derstand him.  There  is  One  who  can;  and  the 
soul  may  say,  "  My  Beloved  is  mine,  and  I  am 
His."  Man  is  a  moral  being.  He  feels  that  he 
is  accountable  for  his  acts.  To  whom  ?  To  his 
friends  ?  They  cannot  judge  of  the  motives 
which  make  the  actions  good  or  bad.  To  him- 
self? His  conscience  may  be  like  Paul's,  com- 
mending him  for  what  is  wrong.  His  sense  of 
right  and  wrong  calls  for  a  God  to  guide  it,  and 
a  God  to  judge  it.  Man  is  a  religious  being. 
He  must  worship  something.  His  hunger  for  a 
God  has  caused  some  pitiful  scenes  in  his  his- 
tory, as  pitiful  as  those  seen  in  China,  when 
famished  men  and  women  have  eaten  human 


Sermons.  151 

flesh,  or  filled  their  gnawing,  gaping  stomachs 
with  clay  for  lack  of  food.  So  have  men  cried 
out  to  stocks  and  stones,  to  reptiles  and  low 
plants,  to  men  worse  than  themselves,  to  the 
earth  on  which  they  tread,  or  the  universe, 
which  cannot  hear  or  care  for  their  prayer, 
"Come,  be  our  God." 

But  these  natural  needs  of  man  do  not  ex- 
press the  whole  of  his  wants.  He  is  fallen  from 
his  first  estate,  he  is  less  than  man  now,  and 
this  fact  increases  the  need  for  God  a  hundred- 
fold. If  a  well  man  needs  a  friend,  a  guide,  a 
protector,  a  teacher,  how  much  more  a  sick 
one  !  Man  is  a  sinner,  and  the  one  thing  need- 
ful to  him  is  a  sin-bearer.  He  is  lost  and  must 
have  a  Saviour.  He  is  miserable  and  must  have 
a  Comforter.  Talk  not  to  the  patient  burning 
with  fever  of  the  pure,  cold  water  of  the  well 
which  he  cannot  reach.  This  does  not  meet 
his  need.  But  hold  to  his  lips  the  glass  which 
has  been  drawn  from  it,  and  his  look  of  gratitude 
will  call  down  silent  blessings  on  your  head. 
We  would  not  tell  you,  thirsty  soul,  of  the  pure 
river  of  water  of  life  flowing  abundantly  from 
the  throne  of  God,  but  we  tell  you  that  Jesus 
holds  it  to  your  lips,  and  says,  "  Whosoever 
will,  let  him  take  of  the  water  of  life  freely." 

We  have  come,  then,  to  this:    that  the  "one 


152     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

thing  needful"  is  Christ  Himself.  Revelation 
teaches  us  that  he  is  not  merely  needful  to  man 
as  fallen,  but  that  he  is  essential  to  the  uni- 
verse. "  All  things  were  created  by  Him  and 
for  Him,  and  He  is  before  all  things,  and  by 
Him  all  things  consist." 

But  there  is  another  text  which  may  be  ap- 
plied to  learn  the  one  thing  needful.  We  see 
that  all  things  about  us  have  their  use,  and  that 
which  enables  them  to  perform  their  special 
part  may  be  regarded  as  the  one  thing  needful. 
What  does  man  need  to  make  him  most  useful 
to  the  world  ?  Have  not  the  men  of  high  moral 
and  spiritual  aims  accomplished  most  for  the 
good  of  their  fellows  ?  Some  of  them  have  been 
men  of  no  great  natural  gifts  and  of  little  educa- 
tion. The  Apostles  were  not  above  men  of  their 
class.  But  the  effect  depends,  not  on  the  instru- 
ment, but  on  the  motive  power;  not  on  the  tool, 
but  the  hand.  A  candle,  though  soft,  can  be  sent 
through  a  board,  if  there  is  powder  enough  be- 
hind it.  Arthur,  in  his  Tongite  of  Fire,  has  well 
illustrated  this:  "Suppose  we  saw  an  army 
sitting  down  before  a  granite  fort,  and  they  told 
us  that  they  intended  to  batter  it  down;  we 
might  ask  them,  *  How  ? '  They  point  to  a 
cannon-ball.  Well,  but  there  is  no  power  in 
that;  it  is  heavy,  but  not  more  than  half  a  hun- 


Sermons.  153 

dred,  or  perhaps  a  hundred,  weight;  if  all  the 
men  in  the  army  hurled  it  against  the  fort,  they 
would  make  no  impression.  They  say,  'No; 
but  look  at  the  cannon.'  Well,  there  is  no 
power  in  that.  A  child  may  ride  upon  it,  a  bird 
may  perch  in  its  mouth;  it  is  a  machine,  noth- 
ing more.  'But  look  at  the  powder.'  Well, 
there  is  no  power  in  that.  A  child  may  spill  it, 
a  sparrow  may  peck  it.  Yet  this  powerless 
powder,  and  powerless  ball,  are  put  in  the 
powerless  cannon ;  one  spark  of  fire  enters  it, 
and  then,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  that  pow- 
der is  a  flash  of  lightning,  and  that  ball  a  thun- 
derbolt, which  smites  as  if  it  had  been  sent  from 
heaven."  The  one  thing  needful  to  make  weak 
men  useful  in  all  the  walks  of  life  is  the  Spirit  of 
Christ. 

We  mention  only  one  other  proof  of  the  "one 
thing  needful."  It  is  that  which  will  answer  to 
the  needs  of  man  at  all  times.  Some  things 
which  seem  essential  to  happiness  and  power, 
and  almost  to  our  separate  existence,  may  fail 
us.  Reason  may  be  overthrown  or  may  be 
dimmed  with  age.  Friends  may  be  with  us  but 
a  little  while.  Life  itself  will  not  continue  long. 
We  need  something  that  will  last  through  life, 
help  us  in  every  duty,  sustain  us  in  every  trial, 
go  with  us  to  lighten  the  dark  valley,  keep  us 


1.54     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

from  sinking  as  we  cross  the  river,  and  stand 
by  our  side  at  the  bar  of  God.  This  can  be 
found.  It  is  that  good  part  which  Mary  had, 
which  Christ  says  "shall  never  be  taken  away 
from  her."  "Who  shall  separate  us  from  the 
love  of  Christ? " 

I  cannot  close  this  part  of  the  subject  and 
introduce  the  next  topic  better  than  by  calling 
to  your  mind  similar  expressions  about  the 
11  one  thing"  in  Scripture.  "  One  thing  have  I 
desired  of  the  Lord  "  (Ps.  xxvii.  4) ;  "  Yet  lack- 
est  thou  one  thing"  (Luke  xviii.  22);  "This 
one  thing  I  do:  forgetting  those  things  which 
are  behind,  and  reaching  forth  unto  those 
things  which  are  before,  I  press  toward  the 
mark  for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in 
Christ  Jesus."  (Phil.  iii.  13.) 

II.  How  may  we  secure  this  one  thing  need- 
ful? If  it  is  absolutely  necessary,  we  should  be 
very  anxious  to  secure  it,  our  souls  should  thirst 
for  it,  "  as  the  hart  panteth  after  the  water- 
brooks,"  like  David's  of  old.  If  we  have  it,  it 
matters  not  what  we  lack;  if  we  are  without  it, 
nothing  else  is  of  any  account.  As  has  been  said : 

"  Give  but  thyself  ; 
Without  Thee,  I  am  poor, 
And  with  Thee  rich, 
Take  what  Thou  wilt  away." 


Sermons,  155 

In  this  passage  we  have  directions  as  to  the 
way  in  which  this  most  needed  thing  may  be 
acquired. 

1.  It  is  a  matter  of  choice.  "Mary  hath 
chosen  that  good  part."  With  her  it  seemed 
to  be  a  natural  choice — one  to  which  her  gentle 
and  dependent  nature  led.  Some  souls  are 
drawn  to  Christ  without  a  struggle.  It  is  not 
because  they  are  better  than  others,  but  because 
they  feel  their  sin  and  weakness  more  than 
others.  They  hear  John  say,  "  Behold  the 
Lamb  of  God,"  and  they  follow  Jesus  without 
being  conscious  that  the  impulse  comes  from 
above.  They  say:  "  Draw  us,  and  we  will  run 
after  Thee."  They  are  of  those  of  whom  it  is 
prophesied:  "  As  soon  as  they  hear  of  me,  they 
shall  obey  me."  Others  have  a  desperate  strug- 
gle before  they  will  submit,  like  the  strong  fish 
taken  with  the  hook  rather  than  drawn  in  with 
the  net.  They  must  be  smitten  to  the  ground, 
as  it  were,  with  the  heavenly  light,  like  proud, 
Pharisaic  Saul.  The  main  thing  in  both  is  the 
choice  of  Christ,  the  one  thing  needful.  Do  not 
wait,  then,  for  feeling.  To  choose  your  own  way 
of  coming  to  Christ  is  to  refuse  Christ  and  His 
way.  He  is  the  Way,  as  well  as  the  Truth  and 
the  Life.  If  you  have  only  the  conviction  that 
you  need  a  Saviour,  and  that  Christ  is  abl I 


1 56     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

willing  to  save  you,  that  is  enough  to  lead  to 
the  choice.  The  joy  and  the  peace  and  the 
power  will  follow  if  the  choice  is  a  right  one. 

Which  leads  to: 

2.  It  must  be  a  single-minded  and  full-hearted 
choice.  Christ  must  be  prominent  in  the  mind 
and  heart.  It  must  bring  us  to  His  feet,  where 
it  brought  Mary.  She  forgot  everything  else, 
as  that  other  Mary  did  who  clasped  His  feet 
after  the  Resurrection.  He  was  to  each  "  Rab- 
boni"  ("My  Master").  It  was  not  selfish  that 
she  did  not  help  Martha.  She  forgot  her  work, 
her  care,  her  sister,  herself.  She  saw  only  her 
Lord.  She  had  that  one  thing  of  which  the 
Psalmist  speaks:  The  desire  to  dwell  in  God's 
house  (Ps.  xxvii.  4).  She  had  that  one  thing 
which  the  young  man  lacked,  and  which  Christ 
recommended  to  him.  "  Go  thy  way,  sell  what- 
soever thou  hast."  Her  richest  possessions  she 
brought  to  those  blessed  feet  afterward,  when 
she  broke  the  alabaster-box  of  precious  oint- 
ment over  them.  This  is  the  kind  of  choice 
Christ  must  have  from  all  who  come  to  Him. 
"  Mr.  Wells,"  said  a  young  lady  to  Ralph  Wells; 
"  is  it  wrong  to  dance?  If  I  may  dance,  I  will 
become  a  Christian."  "  However  it  maybe  with 
others,  it  is  wrong  for  you,"  said  Mr.  Wells; 
"Christ  takes  no  'ifs.'"     There  were  none  be- 


Sermons.  157 

tween  Mary  and  her  Master.  Hers  was  the 
choice  of  love — of  need — of  the  plant  for  its 
food,  of  the  animal  for  the  air,  of  the  bride  for 
the  bridegroom,  who  is  ready  to  promise  that, 
leaving  father  and  mother  and  all  else,  she  is 
willing  to  choose  this  man,  and  cleave  to  him 
only.  We  may  well  unite  in  the  wish  so  beauti- 
fully expressed  in  Charles  Wesley's  hymn — 

"  Oh,  that  I  could  forever  sit 
With  Mary  at  the  Saviour's  feet; 

Be  this  my  happy  choice: 
My  only  care,  delight,  and  bliss, 
My  joy,  my  heaven  on  earth,  be  this, 

To  hear  the  Bridegroom's  voice." 

3.  Mary's  choice  was  an  intellectual  or  intelli- 
gent and  not  merely  a  sentimental  one.  She 
sat  at  Jesus'  feet  and  heard  His  word.  She 
loved  the  truth.  She  was  getting  it  from  the 
fountain-head,  clear  and  strong.  There  is 
enough  here  to  fill  the  largest  and  profoundest 
mind,  for  here  is  One  that  is  "  filled  with  all  the 
fullness  of  God."  A  Paul  and  a  John  were  will- 
ing to  fall  at  these  feet,  as  well  as  a  Mary. 
What  a  privilege  washers!  to  hear  such  words 
as  have,  by  their  reading  merely,  stirred  thou- 
sands of  noble  minds  and  hearts  to  noble  deeds, 
pronounced  by  the  living  tongue  of  the  living, 
loving  God-Man.     We  know  the  difference  be- 


158     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

tween  the  written  and  the  spoken  word  in  ordi- 
nary cases.  How  much  the  thoughts  of  Christ 
must  have  gained  from  His  tones,  His  expression 
of  face,  His  gestures!  Yet  we  have  a  privilege 
she  did  not  possess,  the  privilege  of  listening  in 
our  hearts  to  the  voice  of  that  divine  Teacher — 
that  Comforter — who  was  promised  to  teach  all 
things,  and  bring  all  things  to  remembrance. 
It  is  more  to  sit  at  the  feet  of  the  exalted  and 
glorified,  the  crucified  and  risen  Lord,  than  to 
sit  at  the  feet  of  Christ  in  the  flesh.  But  to  en- 
joy what  she  enjoyed,  we  must  not  merely  take 
up  her  position,  but  have  her  submissive,  humble, 
and  truth-loving  spirit. 

III.  But  there  are  hindrances  in  this  busy  life 
of  ours  to  the  securing  and  enjoying  this  "  one 
thing  needful."  These  are  shown  in  Martha's 
case.  She  was  a  servant  of  the  Lord.  She  was 
serving  Him  then,  no  doubt,  but,  like  many 
another  servant  of  His,  she  had  not  learned  the 
true  spirit  of  service.  The  difficulty  arose  partly 
from  her  natural  constitution.  She  is  the  very 
picture  of  a  busy  housewife — pushing,  energetic, 
practical,  and  hospitable  too  ;  able  to  extend 
a  worthy  hospitality  because  of  the  strong  and 
vigorous  qualities  which  provided  for  the  house 
and  ruled  it.  Such  qualities  are  admirable,  and 
necessary  when  properly  controlled.     Directed 


Sermons.  159 

by  the  reproof  of  Christ,  here,  perhaps,  we  see 
them  shine  out  finely  when  the  Lord  comes  to 
the  grave  of  Lazarus.  It  was  the  strong  prac- 
tical faith  of  Martha  that  said,  "  I  know  that, 
even  now,  whatsoever  thou  wilt  ask  of  God, 
God  will  give  it  thee."  There  she  makes  a 
noble  confession  of  Christ. 

But  the  faults  of  her  natural  disposition  come 
out  here,  and  they  are  the  faults  of  many  ear- 
nest workers  for  Christ. 

1.  She  gave  too  much  thought  and  care  to 
unimportant  things.  "  She  was  cumbered  about 
much  serving,"  "careful  and  troubled  about 
many  things."  As  has  been  said  (Lange)  : 
"  The  heart  of  Martha  is  often  as  a  sea,  which 
the  storms  have  too  greatly  agitated  for  it  to 
be  able  clearly  to  reflect  the  image  of  the  sun; 
while  with  Mary  the  light  of  heaven  shines  upon 
a  still,  clear,  watery  mirror."  The  difficulty  lay 
not  in  her  activity,  but  in  her  agitation;  not  in 
her  being  busy,  but  in  her  being  cumbered  and 
careful  and  troubled.  The  ocean  is  not  still 
even  when  there  is  no  storm;  the  motion  of  the 
waves  and  tides  and  currents  keeps  it  from 
stagnation.  The  fiercest  winds  only  agitate  its 
surface,  they  are  not  felt  in  its  deep  and  quiet 
heart.  So  a  man  or  woman  may  have  a  very 
busy  life,  but  a  very  quiet  mind.     Some  of  the 


160     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

busiest  men  are  never  disturbed  and  never  in  a 
hurry.  They  have  learned  to  maintain  their  self- 
control  and  self-possession  under  all  tempta- 
tions. They  are  able  to  have  communion  with 
God  and  rest  in  Christ  amid  the  absorbing  oc- 
cupations of  life.  John  Wesley  says,  in  a  letter 
to  a  friend:  "  When  I  was  at  Oxford  and  lived 
almost  like  a  hermit,  I  saw  not  how  any  busy 
man  could  be  saved:  I  scarce  thought  it  possi- 
ble for  a  man  to  retain  the  Christian  spirit 
amidst  the  noise  and  bustle  of  the  world.  God 
taught  me  better  by  my  own  experience:  I  had 
ten  times  more  business  in  America  (that  is,  at 
intervals)  than  ever  I  had  in  my  life,  but  it  was 
no  hindrance  to  silence  of  spirit." 

Mr.  Boehm  was  chaplain  to  Prince  George  of 
Denmark,  secretary  to  him  and  Queen  Anne, 
principal  manager  of  almost  all  the  public  chari- 
ties in  the  kingdom,  and  employed  in  num- 
berless private  charities.  An  intimate  friend, 
knowing  this,  said  to  him,  when  they  were  alone: 
"  Sir,  are  you  not  hurt  by  that  amazing  hurry  of 
business  ?  I  have  seen  you  in  your  office,  sur- 
rounded with  people,  listening  to  one,  dictating 
to  another,  and  at  the  same  time  writing  to  a 
third;  could  you  then  retain  a  sense  of  the 
presence  of  God?"  He  answered:  "  All  that 
company  and  all  that  business  no  more  hindered 


Sen)  ions.  161 

or  lessened  my  communion  with  God  than  if  I 
had  been  all  alone  in  a  church  kneeling  before 
the  communion  table." 

The  difficulty  with  Martha  was,  not  that  she 
did  too  much  work,  but  that  she  was  not  doing 
it  in  a  proper  spirit.  She  put  the  service  of  the 
Master  before  the  Master  Himself.  "What!" 
says  Stier,  "  was  the  Lord  to  be  left  sitting  by 
Himself,  waiting  for  their  cookery  and  dishes, 
as  ill-mannered  people  leave  their  guest,  as  if 
he  had  come  only  for  the  sake  of  eating  ?"  Let 
us  beware  lest,  in  the  many  Christian  activities 
of  our  day,  we  lose  sight  too  often  of  Him  for 
whom  they  are  done  and  through  whom  alone 
they  can  be  effective.  It  was  perhaps  to  guard 
against  this  mistake  that  Luke  records  this  inci- 
dent, out  of  place  after  the  Parable  of  the  Good 
Samaritan. 

2.  We  shall  see  how  wrong  her  spirit  was  when 
we  reflect  further  that  her  over-anxiety  made  her 
fretful  and  fault-finding.  Love  is  the  "one  thing 
needful "  to  bring  the  soul  into  harmony  with 
Christ,  and  whatever  prevents  that  is  a  hin- 
drance to  our  finding  Him.  Paul  says,  "Though 
I  bestow  all  my  goods  to  feed  the  poor,  and 
though  I  give  my  body  to  be  burned,  and  have 
not  charity,  it  profiteth  me  nothing;"  Stier  says: 
"  Martha  cannot  call  away  her  sister  quietly, 


1 62     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

for  Christ  was  speaking  to  her;  therefore  she 
has  to  interrupt  Jesus  in  order  to  set  Mary  at 
liberty;  she  does  it  boldly,  and  says  it  to  His 
face,  as  if  it  was  a  culpable  waste  of  time  to  lis- 
ten to  Him;  nay,  she  even  corrects  the  Lord's 
want  of  the  proper  care,  and  dictates  to  Him 
what  He  ought  to  say."  This  is  the  spirit 
which  Paul  rebuked  in  the  Corinthian  church 
saying:  "  For  while  one  saith,  I  am  of  Paul, 
and  another,  I  am  of  Apollos,  are  ye  not 
carnal  and  walk  as  men  ? "  The  Christian, 
who  from  temperament  and  circumstances 
seems  called  to  active,  outward  work,  must  be- 
ware how  he  reproaches  his  fellow  saint,  who 
does  certainly  as  necessary  a  work  in  the  study. 
One  must  not  say,  "  You  are  idle,"  nor  the 
other,  "  You  are  superficial  and  worldly."  There 
is  call  for  both  characters  in  the  Church  of 
Christ — call  for  the  Peters  as  well  as  the  Johns; 
for  the  Marthas  as  well  as  the  Marys,  "  In  its 
degeneracy,"  says  Lange,  *'  the  Martha  charac- 
ter becomes  a  proud  work-holiness;  the  Mary 
nature,  on  the  other  hand,  slothful  quietism 
.  .  .  The  more  intimately  the  zealous  Martha's 
hand  is  united  with  the  composed,  quiet  Mary's 
heart,  so  much  the  nearer  does  one  come  to  the 
ideal  of  a  harmonious  Christian  life."  There  is 
need  for  the  June  day  as  well  as  the  October — 
and  in  order  that  there  may  be  an  October. 


Sermons.  163 

3.  Martha  exhibited  a  selfish  spirit,  which  is 
contrary  to  that  self-forgetfulness  which  loses 
itself  in  the  "  one  thing  needful."  She  did  not 
think  of  the  Lord's  comfort,  or  of  her  sister's 
profit,  but  of  her  own  troubles.  "  Dost  thou 
not  care  that  my  sister  hath  left  me  to  serve 
alone  ?  Bid  her,  therefore,  that  she  help  meT 
She  thought  as  much,  or  more,  of  her  honor  as 
a  housekeeper  in  her  desire  to  provide  well,  as 
of  the  enjoyment  of  her  divine  guest.  We  have 
seen  such  hospitality  where  the  rules  of  the 
house,  and  not  the  pleasure  of  those  entertain- 
ed, was  the  main  thing. 

We  need  the  spiritual  lesson,  however,  more 
than  that  in  morals  and  manners.  We  need  to 
watch  lest  we  make  our  work  for  the  Master  so 
important  as  to  feel  that  every  one  and  every- 
thing must  yield  to  it  and  to  us. 

In  view  of  the  whole  subject,  we  remark: 

1.  How  simple  a  matter  is  salvation!  "  There 
is  only  one  thing  needful,"  and  that  is  Christ. 
This  makes  all  the  difference  between  heaven 
and  hell. 

2.  How  worthless  are  most  of  our  lives!  We 
can  easily  see  who  made  the  best  choice  here. 
Yet,  like  Martha,  we  are  constantly  choosing 
our  housekeeping,  our  business,  ourselves,  not 
for  our  Lord,  but  instead  of  Him.  What  a  com- 


164     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

mentary  on  the  degradation  of  man's  nature, 
that  he  frequently  calls  that  the  "one  thing 
needful"  which  the  Word  of  God  says  is  the 
"root  of  all  evil."  It  is  an  ill-disguised  sarcasm 
on  the  lowness  of  his  aims  and  occupations. 
May  the  Spirit  of  God  help  us  all  to  rise  above 
this  carnal  nature,  and  choose  that  "good  part 
which  shall  never  be  taken  away  from  us." 


THE  PROMISES. 

"Whereby  are  given  unto  us  exceeding  great  and  precious 
promises."     2  Peter  i.  4. 

PROMISES  play  a  very  important  part  in  the 
intercourse  of  man  with  man.  We  are  all  famil- 
iar with  the  word,  and  understand  practically 
what  promises  are,  but  we  do  not  often  realize 
how  far  the  comfort  and  convenience,  and  even 
the  very  existence  of  society,  depend  upon 
them. 

The  most  important  relation  of  human  life — 
the  marriage  relation  —  rests  upon  the  promise 
of  the  wife  to  the  husband,  and  the  husband  to 
the  wife.  The  church  and  the  state  may  doub- 
ly guard  this  relation  by  clear  and  strong  laws, 
and  the  most  solemn  ceremonies;  they  may 
rightly  throw  around  it  the  barrier  of  their  se- 
verest penalties,  but  this  will  avail  nothing  if 
the  parties  do  not  feel  the  force  of  their  mutual 
promises  and  endeavor  to  fulfill  them. 

The  relation  between  masters  and  servants, 
between  those  who  pay  wages  and  those  who 
earn  them,  also  derives  its  value  from  the  prom- 
ise of  work  on  one  hand,  and  wages  on  the 
other. 

165 


1 66     A   Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

The  relation  between  you  as  a  church  and 
myself  as  pastor  depends  upon  the  mutual 
promises  made  at  my  installation  over  you.  I 
promised  "  that,  by  the  assistance  of  the  grace 
of  God,  I  would  endeavor  faithfully  to  discharge 
all  the  duties  of  a  pastor  to  this  congregation, 
and  would  be  careful  to  maintain  a  deportment 
in  all  respects  becoming  a  minister  of  the  gos- 
pel of  Christ,  agreeably  to  my  ordination  en- 
gagements." You,  in  your  turn,  promised  "  to 
receive  the  word  of  truth  from  my  mouth  in 
meekness  and  love,  and  to  submit  to  me  in  the 
exercise  of  discipline."  You  promised  "  to  en- 
courage me  in  my  arduous  labor,  and  to  assist 
my  endeavors  for  your  instruction  and  spiritual 
edification."  I  quote  these  words  from  the  form 
prescribed  in  the  confession  of  faith  for  installa- 
tion services.  The  relation  between  pastor  and 
people,  then,  rests  on  promises. 

Our  financial  system  has  the  same  basis.  It 
is  often  called  a  credit  system,  as  distinguished 
from  a  system  of  direct  exchanges.  In  earlier 
times  and  uncivilized  countries,  the  latter 
method  of  doing  business  prevailed.  The  farm- 
er exchanged  his  oats  or  corn  for  the  clothes 
which  he  needed,  or  for  articles  which  he  did 
not  himself  produce.  Now  he  receives  from  the 
one  to  whom  he  carries  them  a  note  or  check, 


Sermons.  167 

or  a  certain  amount  of  the  currency  of  the 
country,  all  which  are  simply  promises  to 
pay. 

From  these  illustrations  we  can  see  what  an 
important  part  promises  have  to  play  in  human 
society.  Without  them,  many  of  our  most 
valued  relations  would  lose  their  stability;  the 
husband  would  have  no  claim  upon  the  wife,  or 
the  wife  on  the  husband;  the  master  on  the  ser- 
vant, or  the  servant  on  the  master;  the  pastor 
might,  at  any  time,  forsake  his  people,  and  the 
people  their  pastor;  the  merchant  would  be 
obliged  to  require  an  immediate  return  for  that 
which  he  sold  up  to  its  full  value. 

Having  seen  the  importance  of  promises,  we 
may  define  a  little  more  closely  what  a  promise 
is.  "  It  is  a  declaration,  verbal  or  in  writing, 
which  binds  the  person  who  makes  it  to  do  or 
forbear  something,  and  which  gives  the  person 
to  whom  it  is  made  a  claim  for  doing,  or  for- 
bearance of  the  thing  specified."  We  see,  then, 
that  a  promise  has  several  elements  or  parts, 
and  its  value  may  be  affected  by  any  one  of 
these.  That  value  depends  partly  on  the  thing 
promised.  A  ten-dollar  note  is  worth  more 
than  a  one-dollar,  because  the  Government  or 
the  bank  promises  to  give  ten  times  as  much 
for  it.     The  promise  of  the  wife  to  the  husband 


168     A   Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

is  of  more  value  than  that  of  the  servant  to  the 
master,  because  it  includes  so  much  more. 

But  the  worth  of  a  promise  depends  also  on 
the  condition  attached.  Sometimes  a  promise 
is  absolute.  The  promise  which  Pharaoh  made 
to  Joseph  when  he  had  told  him  his  dream — 
that  he  should  be  over  his  house,  and  th'at,  ac- 
cording to  his  word,  all  his  people  should  be 
ruled,  and  that  only  in  the  throne  would  he  be 
greater — was  an  absolute  promise.  But  gen- 
erally there  is  a  condition  attached,  and  the 
worth  of  the  promise  is  affected  by  the  difficul- 
ty or  ease  with  which  the  condition  can  be  per- 
formed. The  promise  of  Samson  to  give  thirty 
sheets  and  thirty  changes  of  garments  to  the 
Philistines,  if  they  would  guess  his  riddle,  was 
not  worth  much  to  them,  because  it  was  im- 
possible for  them  to  fulfill  the  condition,  since 
no  one  knew  but  himself  about  the  finding 
honey  in  the  carcass  of  the  lion  which  he  had 
slain.  But,  through  the  treachery  of  his  wife, 
that  which  was  difficult  was  made  easy,  and  the 
promise  became  more  valuable. 

Again,  the  value  of  a  promise  depends  much 
on  the  person  who  makes  it.  Has  he  the  ability 
and  the  disposition  to  perform  what  he  prom- 
ises ?  If  either  of  these  is  wanting,  a  very  im- 
portant element  of  the  promise  is  lacking.  The 


Sermons.  169 

worth  of  the  promise  may  also  be  affected  by 
the  manner  in  which  it  is  made.  If  it  is  made 
carelessly  and  thoughtlessly,  we  will  not  rely 
upon  it  as  we  would  if  it  were  made  carefully 
and  formally.  It  is  of  more  value  when  written 
and  signed  with  the  name  of  the  one  who 
makes  it  than  it  is  when  merely  verbal. 

Two  of  these  four  elements  which  influence 
the  value  of  a  promise  are  of  much  more  im- 
portance than  the  other  two,  for  their  absence 
would  destroy  the  worth  of  any  promise.  If  the 
person  who  promises  has  not  the  disposition  or 
ability  to  fulfill  the  promise,  or  if  the  condition 
is  not  complied  with  on  the  part  of  the  person 
to  whom  the  promise  is  made,  it  matters  little 
what  may  be  the  value  of  the  things  promised, 
or  in  what  manner  the  promise  may  be  given. 

In  God's  relations  with  us,  as  well  as  in  our 
relations  with  each  other,  we  meet  with  prom- 
ises. Our  relation  to  God,  however,  does  not 
begin  with  or  rest  upon  a  promise,  as  do  some 
of  our  relations  to  one  another,  concerning 
which  we  have  spoken.  The  relation  of  a  child 
to  its  parent  is  not  founded  upon  any  promise 
of  love  or  obedience,  but  has  its  origin  in  na- 
ture, and  carries  with  it  certain  duties  which  the 
child  is  bound  to  perform,  whether  it  ever  has 
promised  to  do  so  or  not.     So  our  obligation  to 


170     A   Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

love  and  serve  God,  our  heavenly  Father,  does 
not  depend  upon  any  promise  that  we  have 
made,  upon  any  willingness  or  unwillingness  on 
our  part;  we  are  bound  to  love  and  serve  Him 
because  He  is  God — our  Creator,  Preserver,  and 
Redeemer — independently  of  any  promise  made 
either  privately,  in  secret  communion  with  God, 
or  publicly  before  His  Church  and  the  world. 

From  this  we  may  learn  what  we  should 
think  of  the  strictures  which  so  many  who  are 
outside  of  the  Church  are  accustomed  to  make 
on  the  conduct  of  those  within,  often  criticising 
them  most  harshly  because  they  do  not  live  up 
to  their  professions.  While  a  stronger  obliga- 
tion to  love  and  serve  God  does  rest  on  those 
within  the  Church,  on  account  of  their  solemn 
professions  and  promises,  yet,  as  we  have  shown 
that  the  duty  to  love  and  serve  God  does  not 
rest  on  a  promise,  but  lies  upon  all,  those  who 
do  not  recognize  their  own  duty  in  this  respect 
are  certainly  more  to  be  condemned  than  those 
who  have  admitted  it  solemnly  and  publicly, 
and  are  endeavoring  in  some  measure  to  per- 
form it,  even  though  they  often  fall  short. 

But  though  God  was  not  bound  to  give  any 
special  promise  of  reward  to  man  on  condition 
that  he  fulfilled  his  duty,  there  is  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  such  a  promise  was  implied,  if  it  was 


Scn>io?is.  171 

not  actually  expressed,  in  the  Divine  Com- 
mands to  our  first  parents  in  Eden.  If  they 
were  to  die  on  eating  the  forbidden  fruit,  the 
inference  was  easy  that  they  should  live  so  long 
as  they  abstained  from  it. 

But  however  this  may  be,  we  know  that  God, 
in  His  dealings  with  sinful  man,  in  His  endeav- 
ors to  restore  our  ruined  race,  has  made  abun- 
dant use  of  promises.  These  have  the  same  es- 
sential elements  as  promises  among  men,  and 
their  value  is  to  be  measured  in  the  same  way. 
The  apostle  Peter  in  our  text  calls  them  "ex- 
ceeding great  and  precious  promises,"  and  if  we 
meditate  upon  them  we  shall  find  that  they  are 
most  valuable  in  each  of  their  parts,  that  they 
are  precious  from  whatever  point  we  view  them. 

We  have  already  found  that  a  promise  in- 
cludes within  itself  these  four  elements:  1.  The 
thing  promised.  2.  The  person  promising.  3. 
The  manner  in  which  the  promise  is  made.  4. 
The  condition  on  which  its  fulfillment  depends. 
We  also  found  that  the  most  important  of  these 
were  the  person  promising  and  the  condition. 

Now  we  shall  see  that  in  each  and  all  of  these 
parts  the  promises  which  God  has  given  are 
"  exceeding  great  and  precious  promises." 

I.  They  are  so  if  we  consider,  in  the  first  place, 
that  which  is  promised.     This  is  not  one  thing, 


172     A   Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  IV.  Cochran. 

but  many.  They  relate  not  to  things  which  are 
unnecessary  to  us,  but  to  those  which  we  greatly 
need.  Their  value  cannot  be  measured  by  our 
needs,  but  goes  far  beyond  them. 

God's  promises  are  many.  The  Bible  is  stud- 
ded with  them,  as  the  heavens  are  with  stars  on 
a  clear  night.  Like  the  stars,  they  do  not  dif- 
fuse merely  a  general  radiance,  but  when  exam- 
ined in  detail  each  is  found  to  possess  certain 
characteristics  of  its  own.  There  are  promises 
for  our  bodies:  "  Therefore  take  no  thought  say- 
ing, What  shall  we  eat,  or  what  shall  we  drink, 
or  wherewithal  shall  we  be  clothed,  for  after  all 
these  things  do  the  Gentiles  seek,  for  your  Heav- 
enly Father  knoweth  that  ye  have  need  of  all 
these  things."  There  are  promises  for  the  mind: 
"  If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God, 
that  giveth  to  all  men  liberally  and  upbraideth 
not,  and  it  shall  be  given  him."  There  are 
promises  for  our  hearts  and  souls:  "  A  new  heart 
also  will  I  give  you,  and  a  new  spirit  will  I  put 
within  you,  and  I  will  take  away  the  stony  heart 
out  of  your  flesh,  and  I  will  give  you  a  heart  of 
flesh."  There  are  promises  suited  to  the  differ- 
ent periods  of  life:  "Even  to  your  old  age  I  am 
He,  and  even  to  hoar  hairs  will  I  carry  you;" 
"  Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother,  that  thy 
days  may  be  long  upon  the  land  which  the  Lord 


Sermons.  173 

thy  God  giveth  thee."  There  are  promises 
adapted  to  our  social  nature  and  relations:  "  The 
promise  is  to  you  and  to  your  children  and  to 
all  that  are  afar  off,  even  as  many  as  the  Lord 
our  God  shall  call;  "  "  Can  a  woman  forget  her 
sucking  child  that  she  should  not  have  compas- 
sion on  the  son  of  her  womb?  yea,  they  may 
forget,  yet  will  not  I  forget  thee;  "  "  If  any  man 
hear  my  voice  and  open  the  door,  I  will  come 
in  to  him  and  sup  with  him  and  he  with  me." 

There  are  promises,  also,  for  all  the  different 
circumstances  of  life;  for  trouble:  "When  thou 
passeth  through  the  waters  I  will  be  with  thee; 
and  through  the  rivers,  they  shall  not  overflow 
thee;  when  thou  walkest  through  the  fire,  thou 
shalt  not  be  burned,  neither  shall  the  flame 
kindle  upon  thee,  for  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God, 
the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  thy  Saviour."  Promises 
for  times  of  joy:  "  I  will  see  you  again,  and  your 
heart  shall  rejoice,  and  your  joy  no  man  taketh 
from  you;"  promises  for  sickness:  "Blessed  is 
he  that  considereth  the  poor;  the  Lord  will  de- 
liver him  in  time  of  trouble  ....  thou 
wilt  make  all  his  bed  in  his  sickness;  "  promises 
for  famine  and  war:  "  In  famine  He  shall  redeem 
thee  from  death,  and  in  war  from  the  power  of 
the  sword." 

There  are  promises  for  every  spiritual  condi- 


174     A   Memorial  of  Rev,  L  W.  Cochran. 

tion;  for  him  who  is  yet  in  his  sins  :  "  Let  the 
wicked  forsake  his  way,  and  the  unrighteous 
man  his  thoughts,  and  let  him  return  unto  the 
Lord,  and  he  will  have  mercy  upon  him,  and  to 
our  God,  for  He  will  abundantly  pardon;"  for 
the  penitent:  "  Him  that  cometh  unto  Me,  I  will 
in  no  wise  cast  out; "  for  the  perfect  sanctifica- 
tion  of  the  believer:  "  He  that  hath  begun  a 
good  work  in  you,  will  perform  it  until  the  day  of 
Jesus  Christ ; "  for  the  doubting  soul :  "  A  bruised 
reed  shall  He  not  break,  and  smoking  flax  shall 
He  not  quench,  till  He  send  forth  judgment 
unto  victory;  "  for  the  backslider:  "  Return  unto 
Me,  and  I  will  return  unto  you,  saith  the  Lord 
of  hosts;  "  for  the  believing  soul:  "  Believe  on 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved." 
Consider,  too,  all  the  promises  concerning  the 
coming  and  work  of  Christ,  given  to  one  age 
after  another,  growing  brighter  as  time  rolled 
on,  from  that  first  one  in  Eden  that  the  seed  of 
the  woman  should  bruise  the  serpent's  head, 
down  to  the  last  in  Revelation,  "  Surely  I  come 
quickly."  Think,  too,  of  the  promises  concern- 
ing the  giving  of  the  Holy  Spirit — the  sending 
of  the  Comforter;  of  those  connected  with  the 
proper  use  of  the  means  of  grace,  especially  with 
prayer;  of  those  relating  to  the  trying  hour  of 
death,  to  the  resurrection  of  the  body,  and  to 


Sermons.  175 

the  eternal  enjoyment  of  believers,  as,  "  When 
this  corruptible  shall  have  put  on  incorruption, 
and  this  mortal  shall  have  put  on  immortality, 
then  shall  be  brought  to  pass  the  saying  that  is 
written,  Death  is  swallowed  up  in  victory." 
"  Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give 
thee  a  crown  of  life;  "  "  In  my  Father's  house 
are  many  mansions,  if  it  were  not  so  I  would 
have  told  you.  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for 
you,  and  if  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I 
will  come  again  and  receive  you  unto  Myself, 
that  where  I  am  there  ye  may  be  also." 

Finally,  recall  those  all-comprehensive  prom- 
ises such  as,  "  All  things  are  yours,  whether 
Paul  or  Apollos  or  Cephas  or  the  world  or  life 
or  death  ;  all  are  yours,  and  ye  are  Christ's,  and 
Christ  is  God's." 

Thus  I  have  endeavored  to  bring  up  before 
your  mind  a  few  of  the  promises  of  God's  Word, 
and,  by  throwing  them  into  classes,  to  give  you 
some  idea  of  their  number  and  variety.  The 
classes  might  be  greatly  multiplied,  and  a 
multitude  of  promises  found  for  each  new  class. 
On  account  of  their  number  and  variety,  they 
admit  of  almost  an  infinite  number  of  applica- 
tions, so  that  a  case  can  hardly  be  imagined  for 
which  some  promise  might  not  be  found.  Every 
man  who  ever  lived  upon  the  earth,  in  every 


176     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  L  W.  Cochran. 

event  of  his  life  might  have  discovered  here 
some  promise  specially  suited  to  his  need. 

In  this  suitableness  of  the  things  promised  to 
man's  need,  we  have  the  chief  element  of  their 
value.  Number  and  variety  alone  will  not  give 
worth  to  a  thing.  Countless  grains  of  sand 
would  be  very  little  prized  as  a  gift — a  promise 
of  such  would  be  thought  of  little  account. 
Even  things  inherently  valuable  may  be  made 
comparatively  worthless  to  one  who  has  more 
need  of  something  else.  What  would  millions 
of  gold  or  precious  stones  be  worth  to  a  starv- 
ing, thirsting,  sick,  or  dying  man  ?  But  the 
things  which  God  has  promised  are  just  what 
man  needs;  bread  to  the  hungry;  wisdom  to 
the  ignorant;  a  new  heart  for  a  stony  heart; 
support  to  the  aged;  long  life  to  the  young; 
society  for  the  lonely;  comfort  in  trouble;  con- 
tinuation of  happiness;  nursing  in  sickness;  for- 
giveness for  the  penitent  sinner;  tenderness  for 
the  weak  and  doubting;  a  welcome  to  the  re- 
turning backsliders;  a  Saviour  who  has  borne 
our  sins  and  will  present  us  faultless  before  the 
throne  at  last;  the  Holy  Spirit  to  renew  and 
sanctify  the  heart  which  cannot  change  itself; 
life  to  the  dying;  a  new  and  glorious  body  in 
the  place  of  that  dissolving  corruption;  a  per- 
fect abode,  answering  every  need  of  our  souls 


Sermons.  177 

which  has  been  met  or  has  not  been  met  in  this 
world.  Surely  promises  which  assure  us  of  such 
blessings  may  well  be  called  "  exceedingly 
great  and  precious." 

But  man's  needs  are  more  than  met  in  the 
things  which  God  has  promised;  just  as  the 
needs  of  his  body  are  more  than  satisfied  by 
what  God  has  provided  in  the  world.  Many 
fruits  wither  on  the  trees,  or  rot  on  the  ground 
beneath,  because  man  does  not  need  to  pluck 
them;  many  springs  are  never  tasted  by  him; 
many  things  delight  his  senses,  which  he  could 
easily  dispense  with.  The  flowers  with  their 
bright  and  varied  hues  and  sweet  fragrance; 
the  landscape  arrayed  in  various  colors,  and 
showing  a  pleasing  variety  of  field  and  forest, 
hill  and  dale — certainly  add  to  man's  pleasure, 
but  they  are  not  necessary  to  his  existence  and 
he  has  a  hundred  other  sources  of  happiness. 

So  it  is  with  the  blessings  promised  in  God's 
Word.  They  more  than  restore  man  to  the 
place  from  which  he  fell;  they  bring  him  to  a 
better  paradise  than  Eden;  they  give  him  a 
better  body  than  Adam  had,  for  that  could  die; 
a  better  soul,  for  his  could  sin  and  fall;  a  safer 
abode,  which  no  tempter  shall  ever  enter;  bet- 
ter companions,  the  constant  presence  of  God, 
angels,  and  redeemed  spirits;  a  nearness  to  God 


178     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran, 

through  Christ,  of  which  he  did  not  conceive. 
u  Where  sin  abounded,  grace  did  much  more 
abound,  that  as  sin  hath  reigned  unto  death, 
even  so  might  grace  reign  through  righteous- 
ness unto  eternal  life  by  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord." 

Those  things  which  God  has  promised  are 
then  valuable  in  themselves,  valuable  because 
they  answer  to  our  needs,  and  their  value  is  in- 
creased in  proportion  to  their  number  and 
variety. 

II.  But,  in  the  second  place,  the  value  of  a 
promise  depends  on  the  character  of  the  person 
who  makes  it,  on  his  ability  and  willingness  to 
fulfill  it. 

There  is  but  one  person  in  the  universe  who 
could  make  such  promises  as  those  made  in 
the  Bible.  Who  but  God  would  dare  to  make 
promises  which  none  but  God  could  fulfill  ? 
Any  man,  any  creature,  who  would  do  so  would 
be  mad;  but  no  being  of  disordered  mind  could 
conceive  and  express  such  promises. 

Every  attribute  of  the  Divine  nature  gives  us 
assurance  that  these  promises  will  be  fulfilled. 
We  saw  in  the  beginning  that  the  ability  and 
disposition  of  the  person  promising  was  one  of 
the  most  important  elements  in  a  promise. 
There  is  no  doubt  of  either  on  the  part  of  God. 
A  man  may  desire  greatly  to  fulfill  his  promise 


Sermons.  179 

and  not  be  able  to  do  so.  This  may  not  be  his 
fault;  he  cannot  foresee  or  command  the  fu- 
ture, and  before  the  time  arrives  for  the  fulfill- 
ment of  his  promise,  some  change  may  have 
taken  place  in  his  circumstances  —  he  himself 
even  may  no  longer  be  in  the  land  of  the  living. 

Others,  while  they  have  the  ability,  are  false 
to  their  word  and  wickedly  refuse  to  carry  out 
what  they  have  promised. 

God's  infinite  power  renders  His  promises 
sure,  for  with  Him  "  All  things  are  possible." 
He  can  renew  and  sanctify  the  soul,  raise  the 
dead,  and  perform  all  other  things  which  He 
has  spoken. 

His  infinite  wisdom  makes  this  still  more  cer- 
tain. Ignorant  and  short-sighted  man,  unable 
to  foresee  the  future,  may  be  disappointed  in  his 
plans  and  hopes;  but  God  is  never  defeated  or 
disappointed.  His  plans  have  been  so  arranged 
that  not  one  thing  will  fail  of  all  the  good  things 
that  He  hath  spoken.  Men  would  have  said  as 
they  looked  upon  Christ  stretched  upon  the  cross 
—  a  suffering  and  apparently  helpless  victim  — 
that  the  promises  which  God  had  given,  of  deliv- 
erance and  salvation  through  Him,  could  never 
be  fulfilled.  But  in  His  infinite  wisdom,  the 
death  of  His  Son  was  the  most  essential  thing 
to  the  fulfillment  of  the  promise. 


180    A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

God's  truthfulness  makes  the  fulfillment  of 
His  promises  still  more  sure.  ll  God  is  not  a 
man  that  He  should  lie,  neither  the  Son  of  man 
that  He  should  repent.  Hath  He  said,  and 
shall  He  not  do  it  ?  or  hath  He  spoken,  and 
shall  He  not  make  it  good  ? " 

The  justice  of  God  adds  another  ground  of 
assurance.  The  blessings  promised  are  not 
given  to  us  for  our  own  sakes,  but  have  been 
purchased  by  Christ,  and  He  claims  the  reward 
of  His  sufferings,  saying  in  His  prayer  for  His 
disciples,  "  Father,  I  will  that  they  also  whom 
Thou  hast  given  me  be  with  me  where  I  am, 
that  they  may  behold  my  glory  which  Thou 
hast  given  me."  In  another  view,  the  blessings 
promised  are  a  reward  to  the  righteous,  con- 
ditioned upon  their  faith  and  obedience;  hence 
they  can  claim  the  fulfillment  of  the  promise 
when  the  condition  is  performed,  as  it  is  said  in 
the  Hebrews,  "  God  is  not  unrighteous  to  forget 
your  work  and  labor  of  love  which  ye  have 
showed  toward  His  name,  in  that  ye  have  min- 
istered to  His  saints,  and  do  minister." 

The  mercy  and  love  of  God  make  it  still 
more  certain  that  He  will  bestow  the  gifts 
promised.  There  is  no  danger  that  He  will  be 
less  willing  to  bless  in  the  future  than  He  has 
been  in   the  past.     We  have   not  to  wait  till 


Sermons,  1 8 1 

some  distant  day  to  come  for  the  realization  of 
the  promises.  We  see  them  fulfilled  before  our 
eyes;  we  experience  their  performance  in  our 
own  hearts.  Souls  are  renewed  and  minds  en- 
lightened; the  penitent  is  welcomed  and  the 
doubting  confirmed;  the  troubled  are  com- 
forted, and  sinners  forgiven  in  the  very  midst 
of  us.  "  We  have  known  and  believed  the  love 
that  God  hath  to  us." 

God's  unchangeableness,  which  underlies  all 
His  attributes,  gives  still  further  certainty  to 
His  promise.  His  Power,  Wisdom,  Justice, 
Truth,  and  Love  remain  the  same.  According 
to  these  the  promises  were  given,  and  accord- 
ing to  them  they  will  be  fulfilled. 

We  see,  then,  when  we  turn  from  the  things 
promised  to  the  One  who  makes  the  promises, 
these  appear  to  be  "  exceeding  great  and  pre- 
cious." 

III.  We  have  seen  that  the  value  of  a  prom- 
ise depends  somewhat  upon  the  manner  in 
which  it  is  given.  A  careless,  informal,  or  hasty 
promise  will  not  be  considered  as  having  much 
importance,  but  it  will  be  different  if  the  prom- 
ise is  carefully  written  out,  signed,  witnessed, 
and  sealed. 

The  Divine  promises  possess  this  element  of 
value  to  a  high  degree.     They  are  clearly  and 


1 82     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  L  W.  Cochran. 

fully  recorded  in  this  Book.  They  bear  in  them- 
selves the  impress  of  the  hand  of  God — His 
signature,  as  it  were.  Men  at  various  periods, 
at  long  intervals  of  the  world's  history,  have 
testified  to  the  fact  that  they  came  from  God. 
Hundreds  and  thousands  of  every  nation  and 
kindred  and  tongue  stand  ready  to  testify  that 
many  of  them  have  been  fulfilled.  Mighty  works 
accompanied  the  wonderful  words  when  they 
were  delivered  to  prove  their  Divine  origin. 
When  God  made  promises  to  Abraham,  a 
smoking  furnace  and  a  burning  lamp  passed 
between  the  pieces  of  the  animals  which  he 
had  divided.  The  burning  bush  attested  the 
Divine  presence,  when  the  promise  was  made 
to  Moses  that  his  countrymen  should  be  deliv- 
ered from  Egypt.  Thunders  and  lightnings 
proved  God  present  at  Sinai;  and  many  won- 
derful works  done  by  Christ  showed  that  He 
spake  with  authority  in  the  many  precious 
promises  which  He  made;  and  those  promises 
were  finally  sealed  by  His  blood.  The  apostle, 
referring  in  the  Hebrews  to  the  solemnity  with 
which  the  promises  of  God  were  made,  says: 
"  Wherein  God,  willing  more  abundantly  to 
show  unto  the  heirs  of  promise  the  immutabil- 
ity of  His  counsel,  confirmed  it  by  an  oath: 
that  by  two  immutable  things,  in  which  it  was 


Sermons.  183 

impossible  for  God  to  lie,  we  might  have  strong 
consolation  who  have  fled  for  refuge  to  lay  hold 
on  the  hope  set  before  us." 

The  promises  of  God  are  given  repeatedly  as 
well  as  clearly  and  solemnly.  Often  we  find 
them  in  the  same  words.  How  often  in  the 
Psalms,  for  instance,  does  God  promise  to  be  a 
" refuge"  to  His  people!  Very  frequently  we 
find  the  same  idea  in  different  words.  Thus 
Christ  promises  that  those  who  eat  His  flesh 
shall  never  hunger,  and  he  that  drinketh  of 
the  water  that  He  shall  give  him  shall  never 
thirst:  meaning  to  promise  the  same  spiritual 
blessings  under  these  different  figures.  Thus, 
as  the  mother  by  repeated  assertions  endeav- 
ors to  calm  the  needless  fears  of  her  child,  does 
God  by  His  many  promises  endeavor  to  con- 
firm our  faith  and  establish  our  hope,  to  fill  us 
with  peace  and  joy. 

When  we  consider,  then,  the  manner  in  which 
these  promises  are  given,  they  are  exceeding 
great  and  precious. 

IV.  But  there  is  one  more  element  which 
must  be  considered  before  the  value  of  a  prom- 
ise can  be  determined.  If  the  conditions  at- 
tached are  such  that  they  cannot  be  performed, 
the  promise  will  be  of  no  value  whatever. 

To  some  of  the   Divine  promises   no  condi- 


I 84     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  1.  W,  Cochran. 

tions  at  all  are  appended.  They  are  absolute, 
and  will  be  fulfilled,  whatever  man  may  do  to 
oppose  them.  Thus  the  promise  for  the  con- 
version of  the  world  is  absolute,  "  I  have  sworn 
by  Myself,  the  word  is  gone  out  of  My  mouth 
in  righteousness,  and  shall  not  return,  That 
unto  Me  every  knee  shall  bow,  every  tongue 
shall  swear."  So  also  is  the  promise  to  give 
the  Spirit  to  renew  the  heart.  Regeneration 
does  not  depend  on  faith  and  repentance.  These 
are  the  results  of  it,  not  the  causes,  but  anyone 
who  seeks  it  from  God,  sincerely  desiring  and 
endeavoring  to  repent  and  believe,  will  be  re- 
generated. "  I  will  put  My  spirit  within  you," 
God  said  by  Ezekiel,  "  and  cause  you  to  walk 
in  My  statutes,  and  ye  shall  keep  My  judgments 
and  do  them."  Of  the  same  kind  are  the  prom- 
ises to  keep  the  saints  from  final  ruin.  These 
do  not  depend  on  the  good  behavior  of  those 
who  are  Christians,  but  they  will  not  be  fulfilled 
without  this.  God,  however,  by  His  Spirit,  en- 
sures their  good  conduct.  Such  a  promise  is, 
"  My  sheep  hear  My  voice,  and  I  know  them 
and  they  follow  Me,"  "  and  they  shall  never 
perish,  neither  shall  any  pluck  them  out  of  My 
hand." 

But  to  most  of  the  promises  there  are  condi- 
tions  attached.      These   are   presented   under 


Sermons. ,  185 

different  forms.  Sometimes  faith  is  represented 
as  the  condition,  "  He  that  believeth  on  Him  is 
not  condemned;"  sometimes  repentance,  "  Re- 
pent and  be  converted,  that  your  sins  may  be 
blotted  out  ; "  sometimes  upon  some  good 
work,  "He  that  converteth  the  sinner  from 
the  error  of  his  way  shall  save  a  soul  from 
death  and  hide  a  multitude  of  sins;  "  sometimes 
upon  prayer,  "  Ask  and  it  shall  be  given  unto 
you;  seek  and  ye  shall  find,  knock  and  it  shall 
be  opened  unto  you."  But  all  these  conditions 
may  be  resolved  into  one,  and  that  is  faith.  If 
you  will  only  believe  that  Christ  died  for  sin- 
ners, and,  feeling  your  sins,  confess  them  to 
Him,  and  trust  in  Him  alone  for  salvation,  you 
may  apply  all  these  promises  to  yourself.  If 
you  will  not  do  this,  not  one  of  these  promises, 
great  as  is  their  number  and  variety,  sure  as  is 
their  performance  on  account  of  the  character 
of  the  One  who  promises  and  the  manner  in 
which  they  are  made — not  one  of  them  is  for 
you.  You  have  no  right  to  appropriate  them 
to  yourself  any  more  than  you  would  have  to 
take  property  which  had  been  willed  to  another. 
You  do  not  answer  to  the  description  given  of 
the  person  to  whom  the  money  is  left,  to  whom 
the  promises  are  made.  But  the  blessings  prom- 
ised are  not  beyond  your  reach.     God  has  said 


1 86     A  Memorial  of  Rev.  I.  W.  Cochran. 

that  He  is  willing  to  give  His  Holy  Spirit  to 
them  that  ask  Him;  and  if  you  ask  for  the  Spirit 
to  renew  your  soul,  and  yield  yourselves  to  His 
influences,  these  "  exceeding  great  and  precious 
promises  "  may  yet  be  yours.  Surely  you  can- 
not call  the  condition  hard  when  God  is  willing 
to  help  you  to  fulfill  it. 

But  if  you  have  fulfilled  the  conditions,  then 
these  promises — "great  and  precious"  in  every 
element  which  could  make  them  valuable — are 
yours.  You  have  already  begun  to  experience 
their  fulfillment. 

We  may  learn  something  in  regard  to  the 
value  of  promises  from  what  we  see  about  us  at 
this  season.  It  is  the  season  of  promise.  The 
grain  lately  sown  begins  to  cover  plowed  fields 
with  a  delicate  green;  the  trees  and  shrubs  are 
covered  with  countless  promises  of  leaves,  un- 
folding day  by  day;  and  the  fruit  trees,  in  their 
delicate  and  beautiful  and  varied  blossoms,  give 
great  promises  of  fruit.  In  their  present  beauty 
we  enjoy  a  partial  fulfillment  of  their  promises, 
but  look  forward  to  a  fuller  enjoyment  when  the 
ripe  fruit  shall  hang  in  clusters  and  give  pleas- 
ure both  to  the  eye  and  the  palate. 

"The  great  and  precious  promises"  of  God's 
Word,  my  brethren,  are  as  numerous,  as  varied, 
as  beautiful,  as  these  blossoms  of  spring.    They 


Sermons.  187 

do  not  deceive.  The  poor  fruit  has  its  flowers 
as  well  as  the  good,  but  none  of  these  promises 
are  poor.  They  speak  to  us  clearly  and  plainly. 
They  never  disappoint.  No  frost,  nor  heat,  nor 
rain  shall  hinder  these  blossoms  from  coming 
to  maturity.  We  enjoy  the  blossoms  now;  we 
shall  fully  enjoy  the  fruit  when  we  walk  beneath 
the  tree  of  life  above.  Let  us  remember,  how- 
ever, the  condition  attached,  "  Blessed  are  they 
that  do  His  commandments,  that  they  may 
have  right  to  the  tree  of  life,  and  may  enter  in 
through  the  gates  into  the  city."  "  Be  not 
slothful,"  brethren,  "  but  followers  of  them  who, 
through  faith  and  patience,  inherit  the  prom- 
ises." 

THE  END. 


